AllThingsD » dropped calls

AT&T's iPhone 4S is Tops for Web Browsing, Verizon's for Hanging Onto Calls

Ina Fried — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:23:30 +0000

Although Apple ships the same iPhone 4S devices to Sprint, Verizon and AT&T, their performance and features differ once they are configured for each network.

On AT&T’s network, for example, the iPhone can talk and surf at the same time — a feature not supported on Verizon and Sprint’s CDMA networks. Other factors, like call quality and service levels, also differ by network.

As for which is best at what, a new study from Metrico Wireless confirms conventional wisdom.

On the data side, the iPhone 4S is fastest on AT&T, in part because Apple supports AT&T’s HSPA+ network, but does not include support for either Verizon’s 4G LTE network or Sprint’s WiMax-based 4G network.

When it comes to making (and then not dropping) calls, Metrico said that Verizon performed best, edging out Sprint and AT&T. Then again, Sprint is the only one still offering unlimited data. So it really comes down to what attributes one is looking for in their iPhone.

As for whether black iPhones are better than white ones, that will have to wait for another day.

ATT's New Ads Tout Network Enhancements, While Sprint Spots Extol the Virtues of Competition

Ina Fried — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:30:31 +0000

Well aware of complaints about dropped calls and other issues, AT&T has been spending billions of dollars to improve its network.

But in the last month, the company has started doing something else: Speaking up about just where it is putting those billions.

Around the middle of last month, AT&T started an advertising campaign in San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C., highlighting specific network improvement projects in those areas. The highly local campaign includes drive-time radio ads, TV spots and even text messages to customers. In the Web and print advertisements, the company is touting a picture of the city in question along with a giant number representing the number of cell sites being added this year. Some of the text messages get even more specific, touting a specific nearby cell tower project.

The ad effort, created by ad shop BBDO, has recently expanded to include a bunch of new cities, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., among them.

Perception is always important in the cellphone market, which must win back its customers every couple of years. For AT&T, its image is even more important as it looks to build public support around its planned $39 billion T-Mobile USA acquisition.

Speaking of that proposed merger, Sprint has launched new ads extolling the value of competition–something Sprint says will be harmed if the AT&T-T-Mobile deal is allowed to continue.

“Competition is everything,” read one full-page Sprint ad that ran in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle. “Competition is the steady hand at our back, pushing us to faster, better, smarter, simpler, lighter, thinner, cooler. Competition is the fraternal twin of innovation.”

AT&T’s ads, meanwhile, are designed not so much to address the merger, but to tout one of the things it is most frequently knocked for: network quality, especially when it comes to dropped calls on the iPhone.

Ironically, some of the most pointed anti-AT&T advertising has come from the company’s would-be merger partner, T-Mobile. (The company has recently stopped mentioning AT&T by name when it bashes rivals for their poor quality or added fees.)

But even as it hopes to boost its image and get credit for the local work it is doing, AT&T must strike a tricky balance. The company wants to get credit for its network investment, but doesn’t want to be seen as talking about how it is fixing the problem as opposed to just fixing it. For now, the company has decided to keep the campaign relatively small, though it isn’t giving out spending figures.

What do you think, all you San Francisco iPhone-touting hipsters? Do you want to know where AT&T is building its latest tower or would you rather just be surprised one day when your call doesn’t drop?

Verizon iPhone Users Report Far Fewer Dropped Calls, Survey Says

Ina Fried — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:45:55 +0000

Verizon iPhone owners report experiencing fewer than half as many dropped calls as those whose iPhone runs on AT&T, according to a new survey.

Those with a Verizon iPhone reported having less than two percent of their calls dropped over the past 90 days. That compared to a 4.8 percent call-drop rate reported by AT&T iPhone owners.

However, it should be noted that the survey, a poll of 4,000 consumers by ChangeWave Research, was completed at the end of March, so none of the Verizon users had actually owned their phones for a full 90 days. Also, the survey asked customers to recall how many of their calls were dropped, rather than offering some scientific measurement.

Of those surveyed who planned to buy another iPhone, 46 percent said they would buy one on Verizon’s network, compared with 27 percent who planned to buy an AT&T model. Another 27 percent said they didn’t know which network they would go with.

In one bit of positive news for AT&T, reports of dropped calls across all phone models have dropped in the past few months, from a high of six percent in September to 4.6 percent as of March. However, that’s still higher than any of the other majors; Verizon has the lowest reported dropped call rate in the survey, with 1.4 percent as of March.

Both Verizon and AT&T customers were happy with their iPhones, with 80 percent of AT&T customers and 82 percent of Verizon iPhone owners saying they were “very satisfied.” Nearly all the rest said they were “somewhat satisfied.”

According to comScore, the Verizon iPhone was the best-selling cell phone in the U.S. for the month of February.

“The results of this survey demonstrate that AT&T’s iPhone subscribers are extremely satisfied with their service but of course we always strive to make their experience even better,” an AT&T representative said, reiterating the company’s iPhone advantages, such as broadband speed, the ability to talk and surf at the same time and compatibility in more international markets.

Verizon Beats AT&T in Voice Calls for iPhones

Walter S. Mossberg — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 02:01:45 +0000

For millions of iPhone owners, or would-be iPhone owners, who dislike AT&T’s wireless service or prefer Verizon Wireless service, liberation is at hand. Starting Feb. 10, Apple’s iconic smart phone finally will be available in the U.S. on a second carrier, Verizon, instead of just on AT&T, which has been the exclusive iPhone network since the device launched in 2007. Current Verizon customers can pre-order the iPhone Thursday.

[ See post to watch video ]

Complaints about dropped voice calls, or calls that can’t be initiated, on AT&T’s service, especially on iPhones, have been legion. Meanwhile, Verizon has enjoyed a general reputation for reliable voice service. So, many frustrated AT&T iPhone users and those scared off by reports of dropped calls, or simply loyal to Verizon, have been eagerly anticipating this move. To these people, I’m here to say: Yes, there are some major benefits to having your iPhone on Verizon, but, as with all good things, there are also trade-offs.

I’ve been testing a Verizon iPhone 4 and comparing it to an AT&T iPhone 4, which has been out since last summer. The phones themselves are essentially identical, except for the fact that they have different radios inside to accommodate the two carriers’ differing network technologies. They aren’t interchangeable.

On the big question, I can say that, at least in the areas where I was using it, the Verizon model did much, much better with voice calls. In numerous tries over nine days, I had only three dropped calls on the Verizon unit, and those were all to one person who was using an AT&T iPhone in an especially bad area for AT&T: San Francisco. With the nearly identical AT&T model, I often get that many dropped calls in one day.

Calls on the Verizon unit were mostly crisp and clear, including speakerphone calls and those made over my car’s Bluetooth connection. On my first full day of testing, I did have several Verizon calls that dropped out for a few seconds, before recovering. Apple attributed this to a very minor glitch I’d encountered in my initial setup of the phone and urged me to reboot it. I did and suffered no more momentary dropouts.

The Verizon model also introduces a feature that some iPhone power users have been craving but that AT&T hasn’t allowed in the past: the ability to use the phone, for an extra monthly fee, as a Wi-Fi hot spot for Internet connectivity to multiple laptops or other devices. In my tests, this worked fine with Windows and Macintosh laptops, and an iPad. Wednesday afternoon, AT&T countered by announcing a similar Wi-Fi hot spot plan for the iPhone at an unspecified future date.

For an extra fee, Verizon iPhone users can use the phone as a Wi-Fi hot spot. AT&T has rushed to counter this feature with one of its own.

Also, Verizon is, for an unspecified but limited time, offering an unlimited $30 a month data plan for the iPhone. That is something AT&T once offered new customers, but has since replaced with capped plans offering fixed amounts of data at $15 or $25 a month. (Existing AT&T customers have been allowed to keep their $30 unlimited plans.)

What about the trade-offs? Chief among them is data speed. I performed scores of speed tests on the two phones, which I used primarily in Washington, and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs, and for part of one day at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. In these many tests, despite a few Verizon victories here and there, AT&T’s network averaged 46% faster at download speeds and 24% faster at upload speeds. This speed difference was noticeable while doing tasks like downloading large numbers of emails, or waiting for complicated Web pages to load. AT&T’s speeds varied more while Verizon’s were more consistent, but overall, AT&T was more satisfying at cellular data.

Also, because Verizon’s iPhone—like most other Verizon phones—doesn’t work on the world-wide GSM mobile-phone standard, you can’t use it in most countries outside the U.S. AT&T’s iPhone does work on this standard, and can be used widely abroad, albeit at very high roaming rates. In the midst of my testing, I had to travel to Hong Kong, one of the few countries where the Verizon iPhone functions. But even there, it only worked for voice, not data, at least in the areas where I was working. The AT&T model handled both voice and data everywhere I tried it there.

Finally, the Verizon model can’t fetch Internet data at the same time it is making a voice call, something the AT&T model can do. In fact, if you try to, say, call up a Web page while on a voice call with the Verizon model, you get an error message warning the two things can’t be done simultaneously. While this distinction is a weapon in the war of words between the carriers, I doubt it’s a big deal for most average users. My guess is that the most common things you’d want to check while talking would be your calendar, contacts and notes. And, in my tests, it was possible to check all those things on the Verizon model during calls, even though I have them set up to sync via the Internet.

I did have some issues with the Verizon model. In the D.C. area, long a coverage stronghold for Verizon, it kept switching briefly from 3G mode to slower 2G mode. This didn’t affect voice quality, and didn’t last long, but it slowed data downloads drastically for short periods. Also, on my first day of testing—after the setup glitch but before I rebooted—the Verizon phone showed poor battery life, and had trouble connecting to my car’s Bluetooth setup. After that, these problems disappeared. Bluetooth worked fine and I was able to make it through a day with the battery on both phones.

Apple lists the specs on the two models as identical. They both start at $199, both have the same battery-life rating, both run the same operating software. In my tests, I was easily able to transfer all my apps, music, photos, settings, music and videos from the AT&T iPhone to the Verizon model, using iTunes, and I didn’t run into any apps or media that failed to work as expected.

Prices for voice and data plans are a bit different. The least you can pay monthly for an iPhone on Verizon is $75, which includes 450 voice minutes, 250 text messages and unlimited data. On AT&T, you can pay just $65, but your data is limited to a paltry 200 megabytes, though you get 1,000 text messages in this scenario.

The Verizon wireless hot-spot plan costs $20 a month for 2 gigabytes of data, but gets expensive if you run over: $20 for each extra gigabyte.

One big question about the Verizon iPhone that neither company is answering is whether it will be updated to a new iPhone 5 model when the AT&T model is updated. Such updates typically have occurred in June or July, which could make people who buy a Verizon iPhone now resentful that their new phone was bested so soon. Of course, Verizon customers who wait might be resentful if their version of the iPhone isn’t upgraded at the same time as AT&T’s.

Officials at both Apple and Verizon will only say they don’t intend to make Verizon customers unhappy, but that could mean anything.

Bottom line: In my tests, the new Verizon version of the iPhone did much better at voice calling than the AT&T version, and offers some attractive benefits, like unlimited data and a wireless hot-spot capability. But if you really care about data speed, or travel overseas, and AT&T service is tolerable in your area, you may want to stick with AT&T.

See a video of Walt Mossberg discussing the Verizon iPhone at WSJ.com/PersonalTech. Find all his columns and videos at the All Things Digital website, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

AT&T's Glenn Lurie Addresses Dropped Calls, iPhone Exclusives and More (Video)

Tricia Duryee — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:11:39 +0000

AT&T President of Emerging Devices Glenn Lurie is focused on connecting the next flurry of devices, from the iPad to obscure medical devices, like a pill bottle that can report back whether your grandmother has taken her medication.

Not too long ago, Lurie was better known for being the go-between for AT&T and Apple leading up to the historic launch of the original iPhone.

Here are the video highlights of his interview from D: Dive Into Mobile, which centered on the most difficult questions any AT&T executive has to answer: How is it dealing with dropped calls? And what will happen to AT&T once its iPhone exclusive expires?

[ See post to watch video ]

Survey: AT&T Drops Three Times as Many Calls as Verizon

John Paczkowski — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:15:22 +0000

After a brief respite, AT&T is back in the news again for claims of poor wireless service. Despite a concerted effort to improve connection reliability and circuit capacity, the carrier is still receiving low marks for dropped-call frequency, a key indicator of wireless customer satisfaction.

Indeed, in a March survey of 4,040 smartphone subscribers by ChangeWave Research, AT&T (T) subscribers reported the highest percentage of dropped calls by any U.S. carrier–4.5 percent. That’s significantly worse than T-Mobile (2.8 percent) and Sprint (S) (2.5 percent), and three times as bad as the 1.5 percent reported by subscribers of archrival Verizon (click on tables below to enlarge).

“AT&T was clearly the worst in the March survey, tacking on yet another increase over the last ChangeWave research survey,” ChangeWave observed. “Furthermore, a closer look at the trends show an increasing number of dropped calls among AT&T customers surveyed, and a steadily decreasing number of dropped calls for Verizon customers.”

And AT&T suffers for this. Just 23 percent of the AT&T customers ChangeWave surveyed said they are “very satisfied” with the company’s service. Meanwhile, 49 percent of Verizon (VZ) customers described themselves as “very satisfied.” A tough break for AT&T, which has been doing its damndest to improve the public’s perception of its network as one overtaxed by the data demands of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone.

That said, it’s important to note that ChangeWave’s research does contrast to a Feburary PC World study that ranked AT&T’s 3G network as the top performer in the 13 markets it surveyed.

PREVIOUSLY:

AT&T Tops 3G Performance Study. No, I’m Not Kidding.

AT&T: “We’re Closing the Gap” in New York and San Francisco

Apple COO: Leave AT&T Alone

If You Think AT&T Has Network Problems Now, Just You Wait

AT&T 3G Improving–If You Can Get a Signal

Admitting You Have a Problem Is the First Step, AT&T

Usage-Based Data Pricing: The Solution to AT&T’s iPhone Problems?

AT&T Ranked Last in Consumer Reports’ Best Cellphone Service Survey

Apple Joins AT&T/Verizon Spat With New iPhone Ads

AT&T Awarded Hug and a Box of Tissues in Verizon Ad Case

Time to Cut AT&T Some Slack, iPhone Users?

Thanks, iPhone: 2,000 Percent Increase in Bay Area Data Traffic Since 2008, Says AT&T

Verizon to AT&T: Do Yourself a Favor and Shut Up

Frosty’s Winter Litigation Wonderland: AT&T Demands Verizon Pull Holiday iPhone Ads

Verizon Banishes iPhone to Island of Misfit Toys

Verizon on AT&T Suit: There’s a Word for That. “Junk

Verizon to iPhone Users: “Want Five Times More 3G Coverage? There’s a Map for That.”

iPhone Owners Would Like to Replace Battery, AT&T

If You Think AT&T Has Network Problems Now, Just You Wait

John Paczkowski — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:04:43 +0000

For AT&T, 2010 will be all about Android and Palm’s webOS. At least, that’s the impression one’s left with after the company’s event at the Consumer Electronics Show this morning, which featured a lot of talk about devices based on those operating systems and little mention of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, the device that has overstuffed the company’s wallet almost as obscenely as it has its network.

Evidently, AT&T (T) thought it best not to mention the iconic super-smartphone too much lest its executives be driven offstage by a mob of iPhone users complaining of dropped calls, lousy service, delayed text and voice messages and testudine download speeds.

Anyway, as I was saying, AT&T said it will add two so far undisclosed Palm (PALM) webOS phones to its lineup this year as well as five Android devices. Among the latter, a mysterious new HTC phone (hmm…wonder what that could be?) and Dell’s Mini 3, a device that shares the basic design as smartphones Dell (DELL) already sells in China.

Oh, and the company has adopted an “Apps for All” strategy that will see it supporting Apple’s iPhone App Store and Palm’s App Catalog, the Android, Windows Marketplace and Nokia’s (NOK) Ovi Store (is anyone even writing apps for that?).

So AT&T is adding five new data-guzzling “superphones” to its 2010 lineup along with four new app storefronts. How does the carrier propose to handle the resulting data demands considering the difficulties it’s had supporting the iPhone?

Said AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega: “How is our network going to support this growth? We’re continuing to add thousands of new cell sites and back-haul connections and preparing for the move to LTE. We’re confident that our industry-leading investments and upgrades will help us maintain our position as the nation’s fastest 3G network.”

Whatever you say, Ralph. I’d call to question your wisdom, but I keep losing service.

What's Wrong With iPhone 3G?

John Paczkowski — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:00:32 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

What's Wrong With iPhone 3G?

John Paczkowski — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:00:32 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]