Verizon versus AT&T

My company is thinking about switching from Verizon to AT&T in Q4. They are really hungry for our business, even offering to buy out our corporate accounts, beat the Verizon prices, and offer new equipment to everyone. This offer also extends to employees who have company-based family plans.

I'm wondering what people think of AT&T compared to Verizon for network coverage, customer service, equipment, plan structure (roll over minutes are nice!), and anything else that may be relevant. Thanks in advance!

 

verizon is the best in new england. but at&t is getting better everywhere. they are good where it matters so the switch may be worth it.

personally, i like verizon because the CS is good and they have awesome phones. but at&t has that as well i assume.

i'd switch if it were me.

 

AT&T is committed to LTE which will bring incredible wireless speed to users up to 300Mbps DL with 4x4 MIMO.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=144980&site=gsma

 

If Verizon using FIOS stay with it, nothing is better. ATT uses 2wire hardware in my area. I have 1 client that is on his 5th router in 1.5 yrs. It is very sensitive to power spikes. His power and phone lines are on poles, not under ground.

 

I think the OP is talking about WWAN coverage, FIOS is broadband to the house.

 

Correct

 

I can give you some perspective on AT&T's network. I have been a member for like 10 years. My equipment: Samsung Blackjack (1st Gen) and iPhone (1st Gen) - Networks used: Edge for Blackjack and iPhone; 3G for Blackjack

Signal Availability: 4 out of 5 stars. Availability is very good and wide ranging. You will have signal in almost every place you would think you would have a signal. And yet, some places are still hit and miss. For instance, I-77 North from Virginia/West Virginia state line all the way to I-79 WV/PA state line can be a real ***** to keep a steady signal. But then again, that is real mountainous terrain and you would probably expect some interruptions. Kentucky along I-75 from Cincinnati to Tennessee... again in some of the dips and valleys you can lose your signal. But these are pretty common issues to every carrier I think.

Edge Performance: Honestly, Edge isnt as bad as they say. I use the Internet via Edge all the time... to load CNN Mobile, Joystiq Mobile, Amazon.com, Yahoo Go, Google Maps, and a lot more. It is noticeable slower then 3G, but the data coverage is very complete. If you have an Edge signal, 9 times out of 10 you will have data with it. (Yes, in some rare cases you can have a signal with no Data) Mobile websites load very quickly in my experience (such as CNN Mobile, Yahoo Mobile News, etc) - Since I got my laptop a few weeks ago I have even web surfed on Edge via my laptop. Surfed, ran Yahoo Messenger, updated my Antivirus and Windows Defender, and other things all on Edge. Here's another kicker... I have even video chatted my wife on Edge. Granted I was stationary (at a restaurant) but the quality was OK. Enough to have an enjoyable experience.

3G Performance: 3G is everything they say it is in other reviews. I don't know all the technical mumbo jumbo about 3G's capabilities but I know it's fast from experience. I'm in Pittsburgh, PA as I write this message and I have a solid 3G connection via my Blackjack. I video chatted my wife this morning and there was no latency involved at all. I am getting a steady 1.45Mbps at the moment, I gauged that from the speed test at Speakeasy.org. It is enough to play Guild Wars at 29FPS and 300Milisecond Ping rate.

As for customer service, I would say it is above average. Only had 1 problem with them in the last 10 years. Our bill came in the mail one day and it was like $700 dollars. Needless to say, we called and it was straightened out. I also like their web interface to track features, minutes, payments, etc. Although you may or may not be using that in a corporate setting. I think they suffer from a lack of decent phones, sometimes it can be limiting when you want to upgrade. The iPhone is great, but the 1st Gen suffers from a bad signal reception problem. At my home in Knoxville, TN my wife only gets two bars most of the time (and sometimes no reception at all in certain parts of the house), and we live in the suburbs! They say that is common to all iPhones though, primarily because of the casing. The new iPhones, more oriented to business, have a different plastic casing that does not interfere so much with reception.

Roll over minutes are great. And the free calling to other ATT customers is wonderful. My wife and I NEVER go over our minutes, so our bill is pretty standard every month. With the iPhone you have to subscribe to a $20 data plan also. And I have the Media Max (unlimited Internet + 200 txt msgs) on my Blackjack for another $20. - Since my Blackjack runs Windows Mobile 6, I connect it to my laptop with a USB cable, turn Internet Sharing on (on the Blackjack) and wa-la, I have Internet on my laptop. It's really that simple, no configuration at all. Well, except the initial setup when the connection was detected by my firewall. And I see a nice cost savings my using Internet Sharing instead of subscribing to a separate Data Plan.

Aaron