How Exactly Will AT&T Remain Competitive?

[mpossoff]

Vz has a jump start on lte but overall I don't think att will have too much of a problem competing.

Yea VZW definately has a big jump start but I'm confident AT&T will be able to compete.

I have 1 VZW line and I can honestly say that I'm somewhat impressed but not enough to take my entire family plan over. I had a family VZW family plan and cancelled it before the 14 day because my wife couldn't stand VZW voice. She uses voice a lot and we gave up our land line.

[johnhere]

Yeah I have the same thing. I don't particularly like vz call quality but the wife can't stand it.

[Trocks797]

Shady voice and LTE user adoption are two sore points for Verizon, but both will be solved this year. VoLTE will give VZW the nations best voice quality, and the iPhone 5 will help LTE adoption rates tremendously. At that point, VZW will have all their bases covered and will easily be the nations best network. And this is when I start to worry about AT&T.

[Jordan T]

Trocks, really? You think it's that simple? Like I'm going to give up my AT&T iPhone for a Verizon one that works in far less places? Even once the LTE overlay is complete and there's an LTE iPhone, I'd MUCH rather have HSPA+ than NOTHING, which is what I'm likely to see from Verizon a lot of the places I travel.

[GSMinCT]

It depends on the area. I'm keeping AT&T, as they have the best coverage in my area. That being said, Verizon is darn close.

[mpossoff]

It depends on the area. I'm keeping AT&T, as they have the best coverage in my area. That being said, Verizon is darn close.

I would say VZW in my areas I frequent is equal to AT&T.

I have a superb family plan with AT&T. 700 minute family plan with aList, mobile to any mobile and free unltd family text. We have our google voice #,s in our aList and we use the GV Connect app for landline calls. With unltd calls to land lines with GV Connect and mobile to any mobile if we use 100 minutes a month that's a lot.

And my bill with AT&T with above and unltd data on each line is $165(4 lines) with my employer discount without taxes. If AT&T stunk I would have made the complete switch but AT&T is pretty good in my area and areas I frequent most like Spring Training. Boy AT&T is rock solid in Clearwater/ Tampa/ Orlando.

[RCtennis3811]

And this is when I start to worry about AT&T.

Oh please, you're not worried about or for AT&T. You're a Verizon guy, and there's nothing wrong with that.




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[johnhere]

Shady voice and LTE user adoption are two sore points for Verizon, but both will be solved this year. VoLTE will give VZW the nations best voice quality, and the iPhone 5 will help LTE adoption rates tremendously. At that point, VZW will have all their bases covered and will easily be the nations best network. And this is when I start to worry about AT&T.

That's what I hope for the most, improved call quality. I will say certain phones sound better than others though. I never have background noise or static but the muffled sound is what drives me crazy at times.

[Trocks797]

Trocks, really? You think it's that simple? Like I'm going to give up my AT&T iPhone for a Verizon one that works in far less places? Even once the LTE overlay is complete and there's an LTE iPhone, I'd MUCH rather have HSPA+ than NOTHING, which is what I'm likely to see from Verizon a lot of the places I travel.

Sorry- I would have like to kept going with that post but my boss was wanting to have a convo so I submitted before finishing.

Anyway. Mark. Tell me, where do you have HSPA+ but no Verizon service? Verizon's EVDO footprint blows away AT&T's (currently stalled) HSPA+ footprint. All Verizon EVDO will be LTE by this time next year. In fact, this Thursday, Verizon will have over 2/3's of the nations population covered with LTE. Is it as much as AT&T's HSPA+? No. But that isn't my point. My point is this:

Verzon has far more 3G than AT&T does HSPA+.
Of that 3G, 100% will be LTE by this time next year. So then we will see Verizon have nationwide LTE, with voice in tow.
By then, AT&T will probably have all their HSPA+ loaded with enhanced backhaul, but the footprint still won't match Verizon's now-LTE footprint....and that isn't even bringing up AT&T's LTE, which will supposedly hit 150m people by day 1 2013.

So yeah, I am worried. Next May Verizon will have their vast EVDO coverage blanketed in LTE, and AT&T will only have HSPA+, and even that won't match Verizon's LTE coverage. Seeing as how Verizon will have LTE speeds and voice quality everywhere AT&T has HSPA+, what is the point of choosing AT&T, especially when you compare the two networks spectrum position? Let's also keep in mind all Verizon 1X will be LTE by year-end 2013, and most of Verizon's rural partners will have LTE running as well. The same can not be said for AT&T, who hasn't once ever embraced their partners to deliver more than EDGE.

Oh please, you're not worried about or for AT&T. You're a Verizon guy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

True, but I would like to see AT&T compete with Verizon. I just don't see it happening looking at both networks one year from now. That isn't fanboyism, I am just looking at each networks current status, projections/plans, track record, and spectrum holdings.

[Wireless Junkie]

Trocks, really? You think it's that simple? Like I'm going to give up my AT&T iPhone for a Verizon one that works in far less places? Even once the LTE overlay is complete and there's an LTE iPhone, I'd MUCH rather have HSPA+ than NOTHING, which is what I'm likely to see from Verizon a lot of the places I travel.

It all depends on YOUR area and where you travel. AT&T and Verizon have nearly the same amount of coverage...

Verizon cover's 98% of pop's, AT&T covers 97%. No dramatic difference there.

[johnhere]

I do like the aggressive buildout vz has taken with their lte. The latest commercial states something like 6 times the lte which makes you wonder when att will catch them.

[johnhere]

Trocks, thanks for the information in the post. My wife was frustrated with Verizon call quality but after she read your post she feels a little better about having verizon long term. Your post made her realize a reliable phone is a good thing to have. Good post either way!

[Jordan T]

Okay Trocks. Here's some places. Condon, MT (not on AT&Ts coverage map yet but look at the CellularOne roaming area, AT&T colocated on the same site but actually has better coverage being at 850). Ovando, MT. Random rural spots all over western MT. I'll post both coverage maps later when I'm on a computer but if you look and compare western Montana on AT&T and Verizon you'll see overall AT&T has much better coverage (though Verizon covers Haugan which AT&T doesn't). I'd rather have AT&T HSPA+ than Verizon LTE in the area Verizon covers. Just did a speed test on my iPhone 4S - 5.9mbps. I'd much rather have 2-6mbps over a wide coverage area (actually its got better tests in the 6-7 range are increasingly common) than 5-20mbps over a much smaller coverage area..,

[Trocks797]

Okay Trocks. Here's some places. Condon, MT (not on AT&Ts coverage map yet but look at the CellularOne roaming area, AT&T colocated on the same site but actually has better coverage being at 850). Ovando, MT. Random rural spots all over western MT. I'll post both coverage maps later when I'm on a computer but if you look and compare western Montana on AT&T and Verizon you'll see overall AT&T has much better coverage (though Verizon covers Haugan which AT&T doesn't). I'd rather have AT&T HSPA+ than Verizon LTE in the area Verizon covers. Just did a speed test on my iPhone 4S - 5.9mbps. I'd much rather have 2-6mbps over a wide coverage area (actually its got better tests in the 6-7 range are increasingly common) than 5-20mbps over a much smaller coverage area..,

As WirelessJunkie said, if your area is served better by AT&T, so be it. But remember, anywhere Verizon has EVDO, they will have LTE this time text year. So for ~298 million people covered by VZW EVDO, they will be better served by Verizon over AT&T this time next year. The title of this thread is how will AT&T remain competitive. They are competitive now, but that "small coverage area" of 5-20mbps you mentioned will soon be larger than AT&T's entire HSPA+ coverage area.

[ilvla2]

I think what I always say holds true-Use what works for you WHEN you need it to, does WHAT you need it to and works WHERE you need it to. That could be VZ, or AT&T, or USCC or any of the many providers out there.