TiPb Poll Results: Verizon Couldn’t Handle the iPhone Either
In light of AT&T’s continuing challenge to support the iPhone and provide adequate coverage and service to iPhone users, TiPb asked our readers whether they thought Verizon could better handle the iPhone. Rumored to have been Apple’s first choice, Verizon’s advertising focuses specifically on the reliability and reach of their network. Could things have been different if Apple went with them instead?
The results of TiPb’s poll to date are:
- 34% (901 votes) thought Verizon’s network would be crushed by the iPhone, same as AT&T has been.
- 22% (604 votes) thought Verizon could handle the iPhone better than AT&T, but not without problems of their own.
- 22% (588 votes) thought Verizon could indeed handle the iPhone reliably.
- 17% (451 votes) thought no single network, Verizon or AT&T could handle iPhone level traffic alone, and that it needed to be spread out over several networks.
- 5% (142 votes) thought that it didn’t matter, since they were outside the US and their carriers handled the iPhone with no problem.
Taken together, fully 73% (1956 votes) feel Verizon would strain under the weight of the iPhone to one degree or another. These results seem to match the consensus that iPhone users use more features and consumer more data than any other handset user, putting a significantly higher demand on cellular networks. In large cities or at large events, this demand can result in the network failing to provide service. Only building more network capacity faster, or splitting up iPhone usage over several networks, are likely to solve this problem.
August 4th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Verizon wouldn’t of had as many problems as AT&T
August 4th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Sorry, but this poll is beyond ridiculous. You ask a bunch of random people who have access to absolutely zero real world numbers whether they think something can work or not? I read this blog daily and enjoy it, but how can you think this poll means anything at all? Nobody but Verizon knows all the details of their network that would be involved and even for them there would be some speculation needed as NOBODY knows how many people would actually end up using an iPhone on their network. I can see minor value in a poll asking who would use the iPhone on Verizon if it were offered, but there is absolutely zero worth to this poll in it’s current form.
August 4th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I think Verizon wouldve had A LOT more problems than ATT. They have a bigger userbase, which would mean more strain on the networks.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Of course, no single telecom company could handle the iPhone alone.
But if the iPhone is not exclusive… Then that could be a different story
August 4th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
@Brian: Seldom is consumer perception of no value
August 4th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
@Brian:
Crowd Sourcing has a history of being remarkably accurate for stuff like this. There is a far higher percentage of knowledgeable people attending this blog than you will find walking the streets, and those with no interest and no knowledge do not tend to vote.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
It was just an opinion poll, don’t think anyone is going base anything off this , just for fun.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I think anyone would have had problems–Verizon is no different–I still think it’s one reason why they didn’t take on the iphone. Verizon can’t even receive SMS (or MMS) messages from many European carriers or for that matter send them the other way. I know because I’ve tried countless times without any success. Verizon has it’s own problems but it’s interesting how we don’t highlight them. Anyone remember when V-Cast originally came out? It always took me too much time to access the service so I dropped it after the initial 30-day trial–I’m sure others had similar issues. Nobody likes having to pay for a service with lousy connectivity. Interesting no one highlighted those issues. Yes–lets see how Verizon handles the added data traffic when they offer something worth wild (application or LTE).
August 4th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
One last note–what better way to work out the problems than getting it out there for us to be the guinea pig? LOL
August 4th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
@ glenn_co or at least something worthwhile!
August 4th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Seriously Rene?
This made an article with … numbers and …. percents? Really? I mean… Really?
Perhaps you wouldn’t mind running a poll on what I had for lunch?
Keep the level of articles up a notch, mkay? I come here expecting a high degree of apple/iphone nutriding/fanboyism… but even that doesn’t explain this article…
Sad.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I like reading what actual AT&T customers have to say over at the AT&T facebook page, they bash the living hell out of AT&T over not having MMS and tethering. I frequently post this article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124200303430005275.html
about the network strain that AT&T is under with the iPhone, and all you can get out of the trolls over there is “AT&T wheres MMS, my RAZR had it 5 years ago”
August 5th, 2009 at 11:19 am
If the iPhone was on VZW I doubt it would have similar issues such as pathetic 3G and dropped calls (the phone is to fault as well).
August 5th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Wow! Some of you guys/gals are absolutely delusional, GSM in American is pure ****. CDMA is much more solid and reliable. Of course Verizons network could handle the iphone, there is nothing special in the iphone that will cripple a CDMA network. Look at the number of customers using broadband access cards on Sprint and Verizon. By the way, the iphone is not the only device on ATT that is experiencing problems.
August 5th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
umm. for all you verizon fanboys who think verizon would be able to handle it…umm…stfu. verizon’s network is not that good. its all biased. when they constantly go around sayin they have the best and most reliable network it will get into ppls heads. i have compared verizon and at&t call quality numerous amounts of times and there really is no difference. and its notlike verizon has a fone on their network that is straining it so ofcourse they are goin to luk supirior. but if the iphone wus on vzw, rite now vzw wud be under the bus. and CDMA is ******* garbage nomatter what no one says. GSM in any country is better that a CDMA network
August 6th, 2009 at 11:54 am
AT&T service is garbage despite the phone. I had a BB Bold plus the iphone and it was the same issue. Having problems with holding a stream with Slingbox. Calls always come in static-y and dropped. This is the NY/NJ area and the service is bad. Google it and you will see that research puts AT&T 3rd behind Verizon and Sprint. They have a 65% reliability compared to the 89-90 that Verizon and Sprint hold. Also, when coming into pipelines(t1s, ds3, etc) who does AT&T order it from…..the phone company. So its easier and cheaper to have a bigger pipe for Verizon than AT&T and Sprint. That is why its more reliable. If more customers join, all they have to do is order more communications pipes. all of these carriers provide different coverage for certain areas. I GUARANTEE YOU THAT IF VERIZON GETS THE IPHONE, YOU WILL SEE AN EXODUS FROM OTHER CARRIERS. If it was for their prices and tough credit check also, they would have more customers.
August 6th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
@matt
English please!
August 7th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I don’t know if Verizon can handle the iphone, but I sure am getting alot of notification of service upgrades in my area, so maybe they are improving the network give it a shot in the future.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:10 am
I had Verizon for 5 years before I got the 3GS. The only place I remember that I didn’t have service was on vacation on the subway trains in NYC. I had never, EVER had a dropped call and always had service, wherever I was. AT&T and iphone on the other hand, I repeatedly see no service at school, cafe, library…ridiculous, and people constantly tell me that they tried calling me when there’s no indication of a call, or suddenly, I’ll get a voicemail notification without any ringing because my iphone out of nowhere happened to invite itself back onto the AT&T network…
Just my 2 cents on the issue… btw, if you guys actually want to read that poll correctly, add up the 2X 22% and you end up with 44% that think Verizon would have done a better job than AT&T compared to only 32% that think VZW couldn’t handle it