iPhone's Connection Problems Could Be Self Inflicted

Many iPhone users love their smartphone, but they hate AT&T's network, which they blame for their beloved device's weak data connections and dropped calls. But experts say that the real source of the iPhone's woes is the iPhone itself.

According to Roger Entner, the head of telecommunications research at Nielsen, Apple's smartphone does not communicate well with cell towers, which causes problems that "affect both voice and data."

This could help explain the results of some recent research by Root Wireless. This company compared the 3G networks of all four of the top wireless carriers, and found that AT&T's came out on top in most ways, including average download speed and more consistent coverage.

For example, many iPhone users were probably mystified by Root Wireless' assertion that AT&T's network offers nearly full-strength connections in 71% of the New York City area, as they have grown accustomed to very poor reception in this city. The company's CTO says this may result from the fact that its tests weren't performed with an iPhone.

The Ramifications
There are many who are hoping that the iPhone will come to Verizon Wireless, so they won't have to use AT&T's network, which they perceive as being of poor quality. If Nielsen's Entner and the Root Wireless study are correct, a new network won't improve the wireless performance of the iPhone -- it is up to Apple to do that. 

Source: New York Times