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...

[randu22]

It's still on.

Randy

[Tpeltz]

Randu22,

Where abouts are you in Alpena? What's the closest landmark? Helps us figure out what tower you are pulling off of.

I'm in Rogers City, still H+ here.

[randu22]

Tpeltz,

I'm behind the cement plant on North Point Shores road.  It's back to 4G right now.

I can see the tower by Kmart which is right accross the lake from me.  But I think I am closer to the tower by Long Lake road where the old Detroit Gasket plant was ,which is just a short distance from Besser Company.

[Tpeltz]

Probably just testing LTE. I would expect it to go fully operational tonight late or sometime during the night this weekend. They usually don't turn up new LTE coverage during the day.

[Tpeltz]

AT&T has launched 4G LTE in the following locations as of this afternoon:

Alpena, MI

Vanderbilt, MI

Rogers City, MI

Posen, MI

Wolverine, MI 

[JREwing53]

Sault Ste Marie has had LTE for about one month. Lightning fast. Have gotten LTE in Pickford a few times. I think it's coming off the Rudyard tower. Should not be long before Pickford tower is LTE.

[Lewyman]

LTE went live in Gaylord, MI tonight. More soon.

[American Ninja]

Still nothing at the Lathrop tower.

[Lewyman]

That stinks. I would say backhaul is the issue so when they fire that tower up it should go right to HSPA+ and LTE. Have they added any additional panels to the existing 3?

[American Ninja]

Nope, it's still the same when I went by there last weekend.

[Lewyman]

American Ninja,

I did some research and discovered that the site in Lathrop is not actually owned by AT&T/Cingular, but rather American Tower LLC. Many sites in NE lower MI that are still E or 3G are owned by A/T as well. That could be a factor for the delay in Ethernet or Microwave backhaul along with site upgrades.

[Lewyman]

American Ninja.....what is the status of coverage at your house? It appears AT&T deployed a massive wave of 3G and HSPA+ today. Check out the coverage map.

[American Ninja]

No change here.

[American Ninja]

I wonder when Escanaba, Gladstone and Marquette will be getting LTE? I thought they would've had it by now.

[Lewyman]

It is hard to say. Those areas have been HSPA+ for a while but that doesn't mean those sites were on Ethernet or Fiber backhaul, but I am sure they are very close to being ready.....if not already. By the end of July I suspect many sites in the U.P., including some that are still E, will have LTE turned up. 

I am suprised how long it took for Gaylord and Alpena to get LTE considering they were the first areas in N/NE MI to get 3G.