How to resolve incredibly slow data speeds?
AMAKRU50
Enthusiast - Level 1

I have been having incredibly slow speeds on my phone the past several months, but recently it has been worse. I just ran a speed test and it shows that I'm only receiving speeds up 1.55 Mbps upload and 0.62 Mbps download. Has anybody else been having this issue? How did you resolve it?

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63 Replies
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

It's never our intention to cause frustration, Tnictitanfan. This isn't the welcoming experience we would want for any customer, and I want to help get this fixed. What results do you get when performing a speed test? When did this issue first start happening, if not immediately? What data plan are you currently on?

JosephE_VZW

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Vancefish1
Enthusiast - Level 2

 Just wrote this whole F-ing reply.. and lost connection!!

 

 My Download is 11 Mbps.. My upload is fluctuating between 0 and 1 Mbps..

 

 Which explains why I can watch Netflix, but can't check my email or Bank balance..

 

 I am near Gridley California. Directly between Hwy 70 and Hwy 99 (About three miles east or west).

 

 I'm on the Unlimited Prepaid plan. Using a Galaxy Note 9, Which is completely up to date on all apps, and Android software.

Vancefish1
Enthusiast - Level 2

 I'm now in San Francisco, on Treasure island. Which is 3-4 miles from Downtown San Francisco, 4-5 miles from Emoryville

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Pj3flwr
Newbie

Same issue here. Left straight talk 2 years ago and have regretted it. The service is cruddy. Strongly considering going back to straight talk or switching to A T & T.

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vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Pj3flwr, being able to get the best speeds possible is always a must and we can certainly help check this out with you. Have you been able to provide any troubleshooting on your end to help work on this issue? JoseL_VZW

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Vancefish1
Enthusiast - Level 2

WHY is this called "How to Resolve incredibly slow data speed".. YET NOT ONE SINGLE SCRAP OF DATA ON HOW TO DO THAT!!??

 

 Honestly this thread is just a ton of people whining about how slow it is,.. but NOTHING about ANY resolution!!

 

 I DO NOT NEED to see other people having the same problem. I DO NEED to fix it!!

 

 For over three years I have had ZERO problems.. This week I can't even load a text message without dropping from the claimed 4G,.. down to an instant 1X!!

 

 I have UNLIMITED data.. Live WAY OUT in the country (so no issues with to many users around me)..

 

 How do I fix it!??

boringusername
Master - Level 1

@Vancefish1 wrote:

WHY is this called "How to Resolve incredibly slow data speed".. YET NOT ONE SINGLE SCRAP OF DATA ON HOW TO DO THAT!!??

 

 Honestly this thread is just a ton of people whining about how slow it is,.. but NOTHING about ANY resolution!!

 

 I DO NOT NEED to see other people having the same problem. I DO NEED to fix it!!

 

 For over three years I have had ZERO problems.. This week I can't even load a text message without dropping from the claimed 4G,.. down to an instant 1X!!

 

 I have UNLIMITED data.. Live WAY OUT in the country (so no issues with to many users around me)..

 

 How do I fix it!??


How do you fix congestion. start getitngpeopel in your area to stop using Verizon's network. I'm not sure why you think there is some magic button that can be pressed.  That's liek asking at 5 PM on a Firday "Why is the freeway so slow, how can I fix that?"

Vancefish1
Enthusiast - Level 2

So your theory is that out here, five miles from a small town of 2000 people. The three cell towers (one less then a mile from me). Is being bogged down by the "hords" of users (roughly 50 farmers that live out here) that have bombarded the system into barely working?

 

 That fully explains why I have a 4G lte signal right up until I attempt to check an email (which causes it to drop to 1X).. for the last 2 days!!

 

 Yet shutting off my phone and waiting 2 minutes. Then restarting will give me full access for a few minutes!

 

 Thanks for your help "boring user name". I feel SO enlightened now!

boringusername
Master - Level 1

@Vancefish1 wrote:

So your theory is that out here, five miles from a small town of 2000 people. The three cell towers (one less then a mile from me). Is being bogged down by the "hords" of users (roughly 50 farmers that live out here) that have bombarded the system into barely working?

 

 That fully explains why I have a 4G lte signal right up until I attempt to check an email (which causes it to drop to 1X).. for the last 2 days!!

 

 Yet shutting off my phone and waiting 2 minutes. Then restarting will give me full access for a few minutes!

 

 Thanks for your help "boring user name". I feel SO enlightened now!


I doubt all those towers are Verizon. You assume a lot. Yes if those peole signed up for Verizon prepaid jetpack that has unlimited data and is using that for home internet then yes you can be congested. Especially if your tower is band 13 only.  A band 13 tower sector has a max capcity of 75 Mbps. And that is split amongst everyone. No detials on your devie . Do details about which bands the tower you connected to is using. Are you even sure the one 1 mile from you is Verizon?

 

By teh way I live in town of 3500 in county of 16,000. Our town has ONE Verion tower. And maybe 5 Verizon towers in the whole county( 400 square miles ) and one is at the interstate 15 miles away. I'm not sure what you want. There isn't some magic button. Verizon is not delibertly gimping your connection. If it's that bad switch carriers

Vancefish1
Enthusiast - Level 2

In THREE YEARS of being here. I've never had any trouble AT ALL!

 

 Yet now, this week.. a few days after the college 28 miles north let out and all 8000 students left the county.. NOW I can't even get enough band width to post a comment on Facebook??

 

 I know of three Verizon towers around this town. I found a map of the local towers a few years ago. The one directly between here and that tiny town IS a Verizon tower.

 

 It's not like I'm talking about San Francisco here.

 

 I'm just trying to figure out why my normally VERY GOOD service has dropped to unusable in the last two days.

boringusername
Master - Level 1

@Vancefish1 wrote:

In THREE YEARS of being here. I've never had any trouble AT ALL!

 

 Yet now, this week.. a few days after the college 28 miles north let out and all 8000 students left the county.. NOW I can't even get enough band width to post a comment on Facebook??

 

 I know of three Verizon towers around this town. I found a map of the local towers a few years ago. The one directly between here and that tiny town IS a Verizon tower.

 

 It's not like I'm talking about San Francisco here.

 

 I'm just trying to figure out why my normally VERY GOOD service has dropped to unusable in the last two days.


Something 28 miles away has nothing to so with you. I dout Verion ahs 3 towers in a town of 2000. name your town and I'll look it up. 2 days? You know sometimes stuff happens. Maybe ther was dmaage. Maybe theya re doing upgrades. two days? You're hining about that? Also if your looking for anwswers a cusotmer to customer messageboard is not the place to look. And even if it was as I said you don't even mention where you are that has the issue. Good luck at your new carrier

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TheRealCalamityZane
Enthusiast - Level 1

But they don't have any problem charging you full price for a product while only being able to deliver as advertised a fraction of the time

TheRealCalamityZane
Enthusiast - Level 1

So much of the time, one feels justified paying Verizon's very expensive fees because they're the best. Most of the time. Then when you're still paying the very expensive price but no longer receiving the quality of service you pay for, it sounds a lot like... What's the word?... Fraud? Theft? A hustle? A scam? Any one will do

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

TheRealCalamityZane, we sincerely appreciate your business with us. It's truly disheartening to learn that you feel as though we are treating customers this way. We do know the importance of understanding our Unlimited Plan options when choosing a plan for your family.

We always want to be upfront in sharing the details of our Premium 4G LTE data speeds and Network Management. When viewing the details of every Unlimited Plan here: https://www.verizonwireless.com/plans/unlimited/; you'll be able to see that our customers receive premium unlimited 4G LTE data and superior service up to the allotted limit (25, 50, or 75GB), at which point Network Management may occur.  Our Start Unlimited plan may experience this, right away.

Network Management means that your data may be temporarily slower than other traffic in times of congestion. It's also important to remember that Network Management only occurs during times of congestion and varies from tower to tower. Once the congestion clears up you will go back to the speeds you are used to having.

We share these details with our customers so they can make an informed decision on which plan works best for their data needs and to set proper expectations of the data usage experience. I hope this information is helpful in understanding our plans and that our intention is to provide all the details customers need in their decision-making. TanishaS_VZW

Simpson62
Enthusiast - Level 1

We have the 55+ plan and my phone shows 3 bars and lte. The speed test on your lte is .01 download and 3.44 upload. Can't even listen to Xm on the phone

 

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We know it is critical, to have data speeds you can depend on Simpson62. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Don't worry we will make sure your service is back to where it should be. Is this happening everywhere, or just near your home area? How long has this issue been going on? 

RosanneM_VZW

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Vancefish1
Enthusiast - Level 2

 How do I stop following this thread? I'm tired of getting emails and notifications for this post.

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JFinTN
Enthusiast - Level 3

I live rural and am having similar issues with slow data, ranging from tolerable to non-existent. Up until a couple of months ago it was mostly tolerable, but something changed. There are times that my ping and jitter are measured in the 1000's and my download/upload speed in kilobytes... if I can even connect. I have both pre and post paid devices in my home and have data issues with both. Even when my newish iPhone shows 2-3 bars of LTE, I sometimes cannot get data. That just happened again last night and we are at the beginning of a data cycle on that post-paid plan.

I would really appreciate some help with this, or at least to understand why it's happening so that I can decide the best way forward.

Thanks.

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Cameratales
Enthusiast - Level 1

I switch to the 55 plus plan up until that time my speeds were just fine everything work great switching to that plan has led to the slow issues

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Conbano
Newbie

It is not just slow sometimes , it is slow most of the time, and really bad inside the building. It was not like that with data paid plan.

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Muddycleric
Enthusiast - Level 1

 Your comparison is ridiculous.  The person said they live out in the country so congestion is not a problem.  Should a person that lives in the city and pays for unlimited data expect slow speeds all the time?  According to you they should.