San Francisco unusable data speeds on LTE band 13

[supermarco]

Hello:

My iPhone X is literally useable in many areas in SF . I've found  that ,via the iPhone field screen, this occurs when the phone switches to LTE Band 13.

One example is 18th Street, between Diamond and Noe St in San Francisco. This is a business area with bars & restaurants, bus stops, subway, etc. On this ST, the phone falls on band 13 and it is unusable and I have to disable LTE to be usable. It's ridiculous that in such a busy area Verizon cannot offer internet to get an Uber. If you walk a block towards 19th street, the phone switches to another LTE band and the speeds are above 40 Mbit. This behavior happens everywhere in SF where my phone is on LTE 13. This also occurs on the nearby Collingwood between 19th and 18th.

The worse is: My phone shows full bars LTE -- How can I have full bars LTE and the data does not work?

There are some electric cables above the ground for the electric buses that maybe are interfering with the signal. AT&T and T-mobile work fine in this neighborhood. Sprint is.... that never works anywhere.

I tested other areas and the LTE band 13 has the same behavior: Full LTE signal but not cannot use data at all.

Is there a way to block this band from my device?  I saw some old comments in here complaining about the same thing .

Thanks!

[vzw_customer_support]

I appreciate all of your details regarding your concern, supermarco. It sounds like you’ve done a lot already, and I too would be concerned if my phone was having this same issue. I wanted to gather some other details so that I can better work towards resolving this. When specifically did this issue first start happening in this area? What zip code does that area fall under in San Francisco? Do you know if other Verizon users have the same experience with their service in these same locations? What happens if you try to call or text in these areas?

Joseph_VZW
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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[supermarco]

When specifically did this issue first start happening in this area?
For several months now, it is not a new issue. Another thread (from 2014) reports the same (see reply # 4 in this link): Extremely slow LTE service in San Francisco

What zip code does that area fall under in San Francisco?

94114. Exact location in this link : Google Maps

Do you know if other Verizon users have the same experience with their service in these same locations?

Yes!

What happens if you try to call or text in these areas?

No issue with phone calls. iMessages do not go through but they may go out as SMS text.

Today I also experienced the same issue in the Stonestown Mall in San Francisco (94132): The phone worked very well with band 4 and suddenly data stopped working. I checked and I saw the dreaded band 13. I check the LTE band using *3001#12345#* . I started turning the data switch on and off multiple times until the phone data started working. At that point I checked again and the iPhone was on LTE band 4.

I read in another forums that the issue is with LTE band 13 and that's how I started tracking the problem.



All the times that I've had this problem (no data), my iPhone X shows all bars (full signal).  Turning LTE (force 3G) allows me to use data at a slow speed (enough to request an Uber)

[vzw_customer_support]

It's important to be able to rely on your device no matter where you are, supermarco. I have sent a private message in order to further assist you. I look forward to your reply.

Lauren_VZW
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[Opanto39]

How do u know what LTE band the phone is using based on the results of calling *3001#12345#* ?

Thanks.

[supermarco]

Joseph:
Here is another post with exactly the same problem (2014).

Extremely slow LTE data in Castro, San Francisco

I notice that all the problems reported in San Francisco in this community forum do not get an answer. Is this the place to bring data speeds problem?

[supermarco]

And yet another person reporting the same thing
Degrated Service in San Francisco (Castro area)

[supermarco]

Any updates on this? 2 weeks without any sort of response or updates.

[vzw_customer_support]

We are dedicated to getting to the bottom of this once and for all. I apologize that you have not heard anything back. I would be happy to investigate the network concerns in detail. I have sent a Direct Message and will look forward to engaging with you further.

Yale_VZW
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[spacerock]

I echo his sentiments, and am experiencing extremely slow speeds with full connection on LTE nearby in 94115 as well. Can you please have the nearest tower in this area evaluated? Thank you.

[vzw_customer_support]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, spacerock. I have sent you a private message regarding this concern. We look forward to hearing from you.

Marshall_VZW
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[supermarco]

I've received the same response multiple times "I have sent you a private message" . C.S. tells me that they are going to check the status of the ticket and then never report back.

As I said earlier: The issue only happens when the phone  is stuck in band LTE 13 , If it is able to use band 4 then the speeds are ok. I don't know if this means that something is wrong with the tower or if there is interference with the buses electric lines.

When can we have a response to this to let us know at least the status of the ticket?

There are other people reporting this problem, this is a busy hub area, what's wrong?

[supermaurosf]

I would like to bring issue back to Verizon’s attention. This issue has not been resolved. LTE stil unusable in the area. I always have to turn off LTE in order to use my service. 

[vzw_customer_support]

supermaurosf, Thank you for reaching out. We understand how important it is for your device to perform as optimally as possible. Let's dive in. Are any other services being impacted (talk/text)? How far do you need to travel away from the area for service to improve? 

MelissaP_VZW

[supermaurosf]

Hello,

Voice service it works, text works if the message is being sent as SMS but if it's an iMessage it wont send unless I turn off LTE. The Extent of Castro and 18th St is the worse. 

If I walk up the street towards 19th st I am able to get LTE transferring data again but not at a decent speed as it should be. 

As Mentioned in other posts looks like it has to do with band 13 being congested. When I get LTE to work again I check which band the phone is using and it's 44 or 66 but when in 13 forget it. 

I have another post from 2015 under supermauro complaining about the same problem. I had left Verizon over this issue at Castro in SF. Last January I switched back to Verizon to find out this issue is still around and has not been resolved. 

[supermarco]

Is there a reason why multiple CSs (laurenc, marshall, yalek) look at this issue, take our data and don't respond/no follow up?

[vzw_customer_support]

We're truly sorry to hear that you've not received a response from us, supermarco. We definitely want to take a closer look and ensure we find out exactly what's going on with your data speeds. I sent a private message your way just now and you can rest assured that we will follow up with you until we see this through to the end. I look forward to hearing from you.

LauraF_VZW
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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[COLHIG72]

I have reported the same issue [removed], and after the customer service level 1 rep was unable to help, I was escalated to a level 2 tech or manager or whatever. She assured me that this was an unreported issue and that they’d send someone out within a couple days to investigate.

A couple days later, I got a message saying “Free Verizon Msg: Your ticket, [removed], is assigned and being worked. Thank you for your patience. Next update within 48hrs.” Followed 45 minutes later by the completely unhelpful message of “Free Verizon Msg: The review of your reported service issue is complete. Please click the link to see more details. Signal Concern Resolution | Verizon Wireless”

That was a month ago, on July 30th. LTE is still completely unusable on my block 18th between Dolores and Guerrero (Zip 94110). It sounds like the same issue @supermarco has. What gives, Verizon? I’m this close to moving my plan to AT&T.

Content modified as required by Verizon Wireless Terms of Service​

[supermarco]

I gave LauraF_VZW several links showing that the incidents have been reported in the past. There is something very wrong with the LTE band 13 in that neighborhood . VZW knows the location, they know which one is the serving tower, the know the issue only occurs when the phone switches to LTE band 13 (if the phone is able to use band 4 then everything is good but this rarely happens).

COLHIG72: Yes, AT&T works wonderfully in that area with speeds over 40Mbps. Even T-mobile works there.

So now I have to carry an AT&T hotspot in my pocket in SF 😞

[Opanto39]

It’s about time Verizon stopped posting fatuous, boilerplate  messages  on this subject, we know it “really matters” to you ‘cos you’ve spent a year doing nothing about it - FIX THE PROBLEM.

Any time I go near Castro & 18th with an iPhone X I get 5 bars and ZERO data access. 

I’m not losing anymore money cos I can’t pickup rides when I’m in the Castro and Verizon doesn’t work.

[boringusername]

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@Opanto39 wrote:

It’s about time Verizon stopped posting fatuous, boilerplate  messages  on this subject, we know it “really matters” to you ‘cos you’ve spent a year doing nothing about it - FIX THE PROBLEM.

Any time I go near Castro & 18th with an iPhone X I get 5 bars and ZERO data access. 

I’m not losing anymore money cos I can’t pickup rides when I’m in the Castro and Verizon doesn’t work.

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It's called congestion. And there are many apps that can tell you what band the phone is using