Will Northeast MI ever receive 3G?

[Mjrtom7]

I've heard talk about how ATT is "working on their network coverage" and plans to provide 3G service in Northeast MI "in the coming months".  Well, now that another 2 year contract has expired, I'm seriously wondering if I would be better off jumping to Verizon.  The EDGE data network up here if virtually useless.  5 full bars, yet extremely poor data transfer.  

Can anyone provide an HONEST answer as to when this coverage is planned to be upgraded???  Verizon has had 3G for quite a long while up here...

[Lewyman]

The voice (2G) coverage has been restored on the coverage map.

I agree, it is surprising that Midland isn't covered with LTE yet, but it appears they have fired up some new coverage south of Midland so it shouldn't be long before they get it. For what ever reason, AT&T has only upgraded a hand full of towers this last month and a half, and my source hasn't been able to find out why. Hopefully. the rest of the sites will get tuned up in the final push this week.

[American Ninja]

Still nothing from the Lathrop tower. Im guessing it won't go live until spring now with the ways things have been going.

[Lewyman]

American Ninja.

Still no 3G/4G from the Lathrop Tower? With the towers that have broadband panels already installed up top, the weather is no excuse to not have upgraded service on those sites by now.

[American Ninja]

Nope not yet. I'm getting 4G but not from the Lathrop 2-3 bars. When I go to the Lathrop tower I get 5 full bars of E. So I dont know what the hold up is.

[Lewyman]

Wow....at least you are getting a 4G signal instead of E. AT&T did upgrade a lot of areas in northern MI this past year but fell short of their goal of having statewide HSPA+ by the end of Q4 2013. Here in the Lewiston area, both towers are still 3G/UMTS even though my device shows HSPA PLUS and it is apparent from the slower speeds that the sites are still on T-1 (copper) as well.

[American Ninja]

I have no idea where I'm getting a 4G signal from. It's not from the Lathrop tower and I'm too far away from Gladstone. Only way I get the 4G signal is if I put my phone by my window and turn on/off airplane mode. If I don't do that, then I'm on Edge with about 4-5 bars by my window.

[Lewyman]

Just got word that AT&T has launched LTE in and around the Cadillac, Mi area.

[Wild Banchi]

I was in the Houghton Lake/Prudenville area this past weekend at a family member's cabin in the woods. Service there is usually nonexistent and dismal at best. I'm lucky if I can get 1-2 bars of EDGE. However, on the way up (Greenwood/Maple Valley Rd.) I noticed a somewhat solid 2 bars of 3G holding a pretty steady connection. Inside the cabin, I even had a bar of 3G when even as recent as this past summer I had never once seen even a flash of 3G. It's kind of interesting to see because my phone will switch from GPRS to EDGE to 3G and back all within a few minutes. EDGE is undoubtedly the most reliable, but it's nice to see that AT&T must be making some network improvements. Otherwise, I would have no logical explanation for the 3G signal! 

[Lewyman]

Wild Banchi

That is awesome. From what I have learned, AT&T is using a single carrier, 5 MHz of 850 (cellular) spectrum for the new 3G deployments in northern MI.  Basically, that means the 3G or 4G signal (depending on your phone ) is propagating out from the tower just about as far as GSM or "E".  I have found that in the "fringe" areas of service in northern MI, my device holds "4G" rather than switching back to "E", like how Verizon's LTE falls back to 3G in these fringe areas. One thing to note also, the signal is getting out better now that the leaves are off the tree's.

For anyone who gets a week to very week 3G/4G signal at home, try a Wilson cellphone craddle booster. I had mine last weekend at my brother n laws cabin between Lewiston and Grayling where I usually get 2 bars of E. This thing boosted the signal to 3 bars of usable "4G" from the tower in Red Oak roughly 4.5-5 miles away. I was able to stream video without it stopping to rebuffer.   

[American Ninja]

Have you heard anything from your source about the Lathrop tower?

[Lewyman]

I will try to find out. They should have fired it up already.

[American Ninja]

There is new coverage on Sensorly. Almost all of 41 is now ATT 4G from Gladstone to Marquette. But from M-35 Perkins to gwin is still Edge.

[Lewyman]

I can say that the 3G/4G signal is getting out farther than what the coverage map is depicting  I studied the AT&T coverage map for a while this evening and pretty much figured out there are 8 or 9 towers in NE lower MI that are still 2G but haven't checked the U.P. yet.

I am still waiting for a reply regarding the tower in Lathrop. I also asked why certain towers, including the Lathrop site, only have 1 broadband panel per sector. Every single site I have seen has 2, 3 on sites with LTE.

Well, the deep freeze has set in and I think all the AT&T tower crews have migrated to Florida for the winter.

[Lewyman]

Just a quick note....it shouldn't be very long now until the new tower on Drummond Island is up and running. When that site goes live, it should have HSPA+ w/fiber backhaul right from the get go soon followed by LTE.

[c0n]

Hi guys/girls,

Still on Edge..haven't seen trucks or spots of hspa+ or 3g since last time I posted.

Makes it awesome to run a business when not in the office and need to check email or go online.

I'd rather have a 14baud modem like I did in '89 on BBS... This is getting depressing and ignorant.

there's no competition  up here though. ATT/Verizon/Charter and their various mnvo.

Pardon the emo rant. Frustrating to not be able to use a service (data) that you pay for. When google.com times out with full "signal" I'm stuck finding a McDonald's to use their WiFi....