Mapping the iPhone 3G's dead zones
If you're getting bad reception on your iPhone 3G, blame your carrier, not your iPhone.
That's the conclusion Wired.com's Gadget Lab draws from a survey of 4,200 iPhone 3G owners. The results, posted Monday morning, show marked regional differences that Wired.com believes are primarily due to the maturity — or lack thereof — of the local 3G network, and not some underlying problem in Apple's (AAPL) hardware.
The study, which invited users to measure their local 3G speeds and enter the data on an interactive map, was less than scientific. The participants were self-selected and a third of them provided data so incomplete the information was unusable.
But the 2,636 data points that were usable — and which Wired.com plotted on a Google map of the world — offer a window into the nature of the iPhone bandwidth problem that has drawn so many complaints.
The most striking differences in 3G reception emerged when the study compared the United States with Europe. Users in Germany and the Netherlands reported the world's fastest average 3G download speeds — about 2,000 Kbps. The most "0" results — indicating no 3G signal whatsoever — came from users in the United States.
Other results from the survey:
- European T-Mobile (DT) users reported the fastest 3G download speeds: 1,822 Kbps on average. [Wired notes that Europe has some of the most mature 3G networks, which have been in development since 2001. AT&T (T), by contrast, introduced its 3G network in the United States in 2004.]
- Canadian carriers Rogers (RCI) and Fido tied for second fastest with an average download speed of about 1,330 Kbps on average.
- U.S. carrier AT&T tied for third with Telstra (Australia), Telia (Sweden) and Softbank (Japan), where users reported average download speeds of roughly 990 Kbps.
- Australian carriers Optus and Virgin users reported the slowest speeds of about 390 Kbps on average.
The survey also shows striking differences from one neighborhood to another. Manhattan's Rockefeller Center and upper Fifth Ave. got very strong signals, for example, while coverage in the rest of the city was spotty. [Reception in my Brooklyn neighborhood was reported to be particularly weak, which jibes with first-hand experience.]
One explanation for the poor bandwidth in metropolitan areas like New York and San Francisco is offered by Dave Nowicki, developer of the femtocell, a technology that extends the reach of wireless networks. He suggests that although these cities are richly supplied with 3G antennas, they are also the places where the most iPhone users reside, resulting in overloaded networks and pokey bandwidth.
This is a problem, Wired.com concludes, that won't be easy for Apple to fix:
In our view, this data is a strong indicator that performance of the mobile carrier's network is affecting the iPhone 3G more than the handset itself. This also furthers our thesis that it's highly unlikely that Apple is going to wave a magical wand and say, "3G problems, be gone," with a software update. Before Apple can make such a claim, it needs to wait for all of its carriers to optimize 3G network behavior — in terms of number of towers, how they're positioned and how much bandwidth each tower can handle. (link)
To see the results from your city or town, click here and zoom in until the blue dots resolve into bar graphs.
3G is definitely a hype. I have been using a Samsung 3G phone from AT&T for a while and recently bought new iPhone 3G after waiting for it for months. The phone is good for beginning to intermediate PDA users. It lacks the features the other Sony, Nokia, Samsung phones have it for years in their PDAs. It wouldn't hurt Apple to add more features and AT&T to be flexible and change with the current times. Apple shouldn't have gone with only one carrier in the United States. They did so they don't have to worry about competing with other products in the market.
I am a longtime T-mobile customer (since they were Voicestream). When AT&T tried to roll out competing GSM service here in MN, they failed horribly. It took years before their system was anything compared to T-mo's.
I wouldn't buy a 3g iPhone until I can find an unlocked one to run on T-mo's towers.
i love my iphone but definitely agree the 3G service is overhyped and underwhelming, and I don't see a dramatic difference between it and EDGE. My phone is extremely pokey in accessing web pages and emails, nothing remotely close to the demonstrations on apple's site or the commercials. Because I have a history of poor reception, dropped calls and iffy coverage with ATT, and only positive experiences with Apple, I think the problem is obvious.
Mine works just fine. Frankly, it's so superior to anything else that I'm enthralled with it.
I have had a couple of dropped calls. OMG. Pressing redial is such an arduous task…
It is Apple's fault. They could have chosen to sell through another wireless provider with ubiquitous 3G coverage.
Here's another thought: These 3G phones that people here are comparing to the Apple: What kind of web page are they delivering? Anything like the size and resolution of the Apple?
No? Well, you can't just go off of "bars" – you need to see exactly how many bits of info are being transferred.
That's the only true test!
If Steve Jobs was more about testing his products then he would be able to stop this, but he is riding a wave of profits and doesn't want to let up for nobody. The funny thing here is that this product is all Apple's and no one else is to blame at all. No driver issues on this mishap. Maybe its the $1 a week the factory workers get paid that is bringing the quality down? Apple seems to go the opposite directions of advance for the sake of pulling in the cash and competing with Microsoft. If its a hardware problem its gonna be not so easy to fix from any update. RECALL maybe or they may just centrally shutdown the 3G functionality like they can do with the apps they don't want you using. Please save us big brother Apple, you're our only hope.
There's no doubt, at least in my mind, that this entire 3G issue, be it hardware or software, is Steve Jobs' worst nightmare. His entire business model is based on controlling both the hardware and software. It has worked with Macs and iPods, but with iPhones, we have a new leg on the stool — The Network. And Steve Jobs can't control it. Don't think he is unaware of this limitation — he most assuredly is. If he had his way, he would set up his own network. However, even his $20 billion cash hoard isn't enough to buy him the network he wants and needs around the globe. Hence, he's stuck with using what he can get from AT&T. It must be KILLING him!
There are problems in all areas of the design, and I'd be anyone a coke that Jobs has all sides working feverishly to clean up the product. We will never know, at least from him, what those problems are. He never airs his dirty laundry. But once his guys have found the major bugs, you can bet there will be some relief to this issue.
Let's not forget how the Leopard rollout went. 10.5.0 and .1 were pretty ugly. 10.5.1 was released a mere 3 weeks after the initial release. Three months passed until we got 10.5.2, which finally got things right, by and large. I am willing to wager that we will see something similar from Apple, and that 2.0.3 will be a major improvement for everyone (finally!)
But until that day comes, all you guys are doing is driving yourself nuts biting your own tails. You can bet your last dollar that Jobs is keenly aware of your collective angst, even though he stays sequestered (as he always does).
I know very little about phones, but this much I do know: they are so massively complex that the simpleton discussions we see on blog pages like this are SO naive. The few millions of lines of code, the infinite possibilities of instruction branches, in conjunction with an infinitely variable radio signal. I don't know how anyone can get a handle on the task. Most parts of the code are working as they should, but oh those lines that don't! Now all they have to do is weed through the few million haystacks and find the needles. It's so simple, right?
I'd hate to be an Apple iPhone engineer at this time. The daily beating must be merciless.
ex ped: Smart comment. Thanks.
How does this explain the fact that my phone has 1-2 bars of 3G signal at best, and is usually on 2G (EDGE) in almost all parts of the city, whereas my friend's Nokia right beside mine stays conected to 3G the ENTIRE time?
I've had 3 iPhones, all exhibit this flaw. I've tested this phenomina with 2 Nokias, 1 Sony Ericsson and 1 Samsung. It's not random… If I'm more than a quarter mile from the 3G tower, I start to lose signal.
Probably future true dead zones. The mass number represents a true mind dead zone of smart phone users. Track me. Such forms of irresponsibility hidden in plain sight. You only need to be worried about yourself. It was such a pretty east coast. I hope the iphone works in NYC soon.
Californians are barking up the wrong tree. Your coverage sucks mainly because you are one big NIMBY state. Ask any carrier in CA and they will tell you. Go complain to your towns and cities to give more freedom. May be some of those foreclosed home lots can be converted to a tower site. They will pay you rent to pay the mortgage.
This is not an AT&T issue. I've wondered my city with my local AT&T rep while he had his 3G phone and I had my 3G iPhone. Many places where he had full bars and was on the 3G network, my iPhone read "no service".
NuShrike – network transfer rates are not cpu limited, I have no idea where you got that idea. The CPU is mearly moving data to and from the radio stack into and out of main memory or storage, the CPU's job is quite trivial and it is probably shut down most of the time waiting for data from the radio stack. Neal's comparison is a valid comparison, any two 3g devices should operate at near the same transfer rates and signal quality.
Wired! is clearly trying to embarrass AT&T into speeding up the 3G rollout.
However, the main part of the problem is and has always been the iPhone 3G has big bugs.
You have to really pay attention but this and the Wired?! article clearly implies that the iPhone 3G has a problem which Apple must fix.
AT&T and EVERY US carrier also has problems, mainly due to the incompetance and sure-assured 'know-it-all'ness of their foolish tech clowns. Damn if I was half as smart as they think they are… That's more an American problem than an AT&T problem though.
If they want to fix it or be sure there is no problem they'll have to contract it out to a place where the tech folk are competent, hardworking, and have a know good 3G network up and running, say Finland as one example.
I've personally seen my iPhone laying on a hotel bed 20 miles outside DC and watched it drop suddenly from 4 (or is it 5?) bars to 'No Service'.
I also know that my 5 year old Moto Razr with the 1000 minute prepaid T-Mobile card constantly loses and finds it's GSM after 22:00 every day. In Europe never did this phone even drop one call. I can only guess the cell towers are sinking into 'power saver' mode when that happens.
I love how many people really have no clue how the wireless carriers work. Apple had no choice but TO use At&t .. if they went with Verizon they are CDMA based and they would at some point need to make another device chipset to work with GPRS/GSM based system .. so At&t was the likely choice. T-mobile is a bit player in the states and Sprint is CDMA based also.
3G is still new and every coverage map is very limited .. I didn't read anything stating 3G national coverage .. so the ISSUE is the cheap chipset Apple used to lower the price and it's lackluster performance.
Apple wants control over the "iphone experience" and dealing with all things wireless carrier related makes this impossible and frankly not feasible. Ipods and Iphone are entirely different things and unless Apple can manage and operate their own wireless network there is nothing to do.
If it was strictly coverage, then any 3G phone in the same area would have the same problems. I can stick six different 3G phones next to an iPhone and they will all have great coverage where I work, while the iPhone gets 1 bar and drops calls. Note: tested on several iPhones.
I have had an iPhone from day one over a year ago and would never trade it for any thing else. There is simply nothing else out there with the ease of use and variety of features and amazing interface.
As with all technology, nothing is perfect. High speed wireless networks are not there yet and it will be some time before everyone will be able to stream movies from every corner of the earth on mobile devices.
Stop whining, accept the limitations of technology and do your research for the product that suits your needs and desires in the area that you live.
@neal about how your laptop+Sierra Wireless gets better speeds than your iPhone: well, how many times cpu speed you have in your laptop vs the iPhone? You can all easily guess the math.
Network transfer rates are cpu-limited.
As an example how bad AT&T is, I've been complaining to AT&T for the last 3 years about how bad coverage is in the foothills near northern Irvine. Well, GSM only improved in the last year from 1-2 to 4 bars. Then, 3G has been bad (0-1 bars), and this is all only 3 blocks away from the AT&T store, of which even the iPhone rollout didn't fix.
Then, to cap it off, they let two towers go down (one July 11th, one beginning of August), and they're STILL down.
As for those that blame Apple for going to AT&T instead of another carrier — you're either ignorant, or a revisionist troll. You all know that AT&T was the only major carrier that would sell the iPhone on Apple's terms, and they're the only carrier whose network is directly upgradeable to world-wide 3G coverage. Unless of course you're just loving your carrier-created Motorola ROKR.
Count your iPhone blessings.
AT&T is presently doing a Network Quality assessment in my area. I have an iPhone and I am looking forward to tearing them a new one once I get the results.
I can't tell you how horrendous AT&T's coverage in San Diego is. It's astonishing there aren't any law suits against them for dropped calls/lack of coverage and I'm glad customers can no longer get 'locked into' their service without canceling and having to pay major fees. I'm counting down the days to return back to Verizon with my company.
I have an AT&T Motorola RAZR 3G and it keeps dropping calls everytime it switches from 3G to Edge. It has been terrible…. I have full bars in 3G and the call drops and goes to Edge.
I have been an AT&T customer for a long time in Florida and now I am thinking about switching carriers to T-Mobile or Verizon…
This is totally accurate. I had Verizon prior to getting my I phone which I love, but the att service is horrific. It's probably the worst I've ever had. There should be an investigation into there advertising about the least dropped calls!!!
I don't have an iPhone and don't plan to buy one. Unfortunately, I have AT&T. I live in Queens (NYC) and suffer miserably with AT&T's 3G network. At times, I can't even call 911. My calls get droppped, I don't get emails or text messages sometimes up to a day or two later. AT&T blames things on my habit of not turning off my cell to reset my status to the closest tower near me. I call it sucky service, false TV advertising and can't wait til my contract expires to sign with a better carrier. Good luck to us all on finding great phones and great service.
Seems to me the problem is partly AT&T's network, but mostly an iPhone problem as I have read here and elsewhere that other phones do just fine in areas that the iphone is bad. Tells me the issue is client side and not the network in most cases. I think Verizon has the best network and I have used my 3G phone on Verizon's network and can tether my laptop to it and surf the web and vpn while riding in a car going 70mph on the highway with no issues and solid service. I know AT&T is not what Verizon is, but this much problem is in no way the network. I think this phone was compromised for design and cannot funtion as well as other phones. I will be sticking to my windows mobile and Verizon. The iPhone is cool, but I need business function more than good looks and slow data performance. And I can't tether my laptop with the iPhone, which is a huge feature while I'm on the road.
I totally agree with the article- the one mistake Apple made was locking into one carrier – I had AT&T and dropped it because of dropped calls and inconsistent wireless coverage – it's not the phone – it's the network!
Your article only looks at coverage. AT&T has admitted that their coverage is still immature. The problem with the iPhone is not strictly coverage (although many are complaining about it). Dropped calls is a significant issue. The calls seem to drop when the phone switches between 3G and EDGE. Is this an AT&T issue or Apple? Strange that is doesn't happen with other phones.
The survey is flawed.
Compare two or more 3G devices side by side. If signal is weak for all devices then it is network issue.
Otherwise it is case of bad apple.
I have a Tilt phone as well, and watch many people stand next to me and curse their iphones, while my phone connects to AT&Ts 3G quickly.
how much did apple pay wired to put this load of BS out? i have a Moto Qh and 2 of my co workers have a blackberry curve and new 3G iphone respectively…all on AT&T. we all live near each other and work in the same office. i can't tell you how many times the iphone owner complains about dropped calls and bad 3G coverage. me and the BB guy just sit there and shrug and tell him 'i don't know what you are talking about.' you can't blame lack of 3G coverage on apple but you if you compare to other devices that work fine, the device needs scrutiny. also, the handoff from 3G to EDGE while mobile is not great on the iphone. i have witnessed countless times where my iphone friend has cussed at his phone…makes for a very entertaining lunches though when we go eat!!!
Why in the world would anyone use 3G for a phone call?? It seems pretty obvious that you'd switch 3G off if you're worried about losing your phone call.
I agree that AT&T needs to get off the dime, but there's only so much Apple can do to budge them. Sadly, it may come down to those of us who own iPhones threatening to walk when our contracts run out to get them off the dime.
Usually, when I need 3G, I'm in a non-moving environment. I have few problems in that instance. But I do like to ride my bike and listen to Pandora. I've had mixed results with that.
Bottom line: If you bought this phone for 3G, your experience may be somewhat patchy. However, there are MANY other features of the phone that are utterly fantastic.
iPhone is great but I would never purchase a phone that was not run on the Verizon network. Just wish Apple had made a better choice in networks.
The case your iPhone is in can make a big difference.
Also how you hold the phone.
Not that this should be acceptable but I have found this to be true.
Comparing both gen1 to gen1 iphone, 1 to 2, and 2 to 2…
The truth is that there are problems both in ATT and Apple.
Regarding Apple issue look at this
It clearly shows reception comparison two 3G phone.
ATT is not innocent. ATT support staff acknowledges that their coverage map is not correct and they are in the process to updating it (I really want to see that).
The truth is that ATT 3G network coverage is really bad and ATT needs to step up. I am amazed that Apple has agreed to extend the exclusivity of iPhone to ATT to 2010.
Truth be told it IS Apple's fault because they chose to us AT&T. They could have decided to sell the iPhone on all GSM networks, but they wanted to extract as much profit from the sale of their phone so they went with the highest bidder. Unfortunately for Apple, they choose a second tier provider just to make some additional money. Who knows? They may or may not feel the sting of doing so.
It shouldn't be the consumers' job to figure out whether disconnect problems with Apple's iPhone 3G are the fault of the phone or the network. Apple needs to know, loud and clear that one or both are causing its users' calls to be dropped at a much greater rate than they should be. I love the features of my new iPhone 3G but am very frustrated with the number of dropped calls, even in Manhattan, where population density should justify the best possible coverage in the nation. I really miss Verizon's clear and reliable coverage.
WRONG the proper scientific test would be to test a 3G iPhone AND another 3G AT&T device at the same location at the same time.
If there is no difference in speed/issues, it's the network, if there is, it's the device. Stupid.
Agree with what Eric in Denver said. I have a conference room here in San Jose that I spend a lot of time in. When I walk in, my iPhone in 3G mode goes to "NO SERVICE" and stays there for hours, not receiving calls or email. When I remember to manually shut off 3G, I get 5 bars of EDGE and all the email and voicemails arrive. Not being able to figure out that an hour of "NO SERVICE" means that maybe it is time to try EDGE automatically is a software problem.
I can only assume from the biased and superficial drivel written here, that it was written by Steve Jobs. It conveniently forgets the ridiculous situation we have in the UK too. Make no mistake, this is an Apple problem, an iPhone problem. End of.
I have a Wi-Fi enabled T-mobile phone. It works great in high rise buildings and it can automatically connect to most "open" Wi-Fi networks. I have Wi-Fi at home and work and so all my calls are free in those places as is the case at McDonald's, Panera bread, Starbucks etc. I dumped AT&T 5 years back for poor service and poor quality of calls. I have never had to look around since I joined T-mobile. Both their service and network is great in the cities, but not much good in the rural areas. However, I typically go to a McDonald's and can make calls through their Wi-Fi while travelling.
Not surprised, I suffered with poor AT&T rception for a year. I like the I-phone, I own a ipod and a macbook. BUT, I will never buy a phone on AT&T's network.
This may be a misreading of the data.
The issue with dropped calls is possibly a combination of weak signals and issues with the chipset in the iPhone. The theory is that the chipset has problems handing off to EDGE from a weak 3G signal (this is where the phone drops calls). This behavior is more likely to happen in areas of weak signal strength.
From what I've read phones based on other chipsets on the AT&T network do not seem to have these issues.
Just turn your 3g off under settings, general, network settings. Your iphone will default back to the EDGE network which will have a better signal because it is more developed.
I disagree with leaving Apple out of the blame game. They chose the carrier (AT&T) knowing full well they did not have the best data network. AT&T was the carrier willing to give them the best financial concession (Google articles on why Apple did not go with Verizon or Sprint). Money talks.
I put my iPhone in a drawer & left it there until I sold it to someone in Europe. It won't work OFF the ATT neetwork….so basically, it's a throwback to the mid 1990s when cell phones didn't roam but were digital.
Too bad, it was great for everything but being a phone!!!! great features, etc.
There are 2 problems here at least. Bandwidth as you have stated in your article very nicely is a problem, and disconnects. Apple is not responsible for the bandwidth problems, but the disconnect problem is definitely Apple's fault.
AT&T's 3G dies inside my office in houston downtown while my other sprint
EVDO rev A phone still has 2 bar.
it sure kind of suck for my iphone…
since calls cannot be make in/out and it goes straight to voice mail.
I previously had the ATT Tilt and 3g reception in my home and at work were perfectly fine. Now with my Iphone, I'm lucky to get 1 bar. How do you explain that?
I do blame Apple, they are the ones that entered into a multi-year agreement with AT&T which is one of the worst carriers in the United States.
The data missing in this experiment is to test what the performance is of the 3G network using OTHER 3G HANDSETS besides the iPhone! This would demonstrate that the network could be so poor that nothing would work. But if a competing design does work, it points to a flaw in the iPhone's 3G chipset most likely.
We iPhone users aren't concerned with the shoddy 3g network. We are upset with the iPhones ability to bail off that network and go to Edge when needed.
It cannot. Instead your call drops or you are stuck with "No Service" until you manually shut off 3g in the phone preferences.
not true…..answer me this – why if sitting at my desk, can I take the sim out of iphone and put it in my sierra wireless air card USB on the laptop and get twice the speed….or go from iPhone edge to full 3g on the laptop.
While I won't say that the 3g network is robust, I *will* say that iPhone 3g has the weakest signal of any of my devices…Gowon earth is THAT AT&Ts fault?????
http://www.3GDeadZones.com already has 100,000+ complaints in the database.