How will I know when Verizon upgrades the equipment on the tower that services my home?

[JONCON87]

Since there is no alternative, the people that live in my "neighborhood" either use Verizon or AT&T for their internet - buying the unlimited wireless plan and then using phones/ipads/etc. as hot spots for data.  Of course, one has to be extremely miserly in their usage, or they will go over the relatively tiny 15 GB limit, after which the speed is reduced to an unusable level - something akin to dial-up modems in the early 1990s. 

Because everyone is using wireless for their internet, the towers are getting hammered with activity/usage, especially at certain times of the day.  This has actually been confirmed by more than one person when I called 611 to get them to check their equipment.  Checking the speed from time to time, I get download speeds that range from less than 1 Mbps to around 8 Mbps, and upload speeds that range from 0.01 (no kidding!) to around 0.6 Mbps.

The last time I called, the person that helped me said they were working on the tower that services our area.  I asked him if they were upgrading it and he said he couldn't tell for sure what they were doing, but based on the high level of activity/usage at the tower he would think that they were.  How do I know if they are upgrading the equipment or not, and if they are, how long will it take to finish it? 

We have some property about 10 miles away, and the (Verizon) tower that serves that area was upgraded several years ago (they ran fiber to it and installed the latest equipment).  The download speeds from that tower are over 5 times what they are on our tower (at its very best), usually somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 Mbps.  Because I work from home some days, having a reliable internet connection is very important.  I don't have to have blazing fast internet, but at lest 4-5 Mbps and a relatively low latency keeps my from constantly getting dropped from my VPN.

Anyone know how the tower upgrade process works at Verizon?

[vzw_customer_support]

I am a consumer too and I sincerely understand your concerns regarding cell site congestion and your desire to know of any future upgrades to the cell sites servicing your specific area. While our network team constantly reviews the performance of all our cell sites, we do not know when or if any cell site is getting any type of upgrade. Our network team makes that determination and that information is proprietary and confidential.

You indicate that you use your phones and tablets as Mobile Hotspots and I know that the 15GB limit for high-speed data may not be sufficient for your internet needs. We do have data only plans for Jetpacks that are not limited to 15GB and will provide you with high-speed data for the entirety of the month. Please check our data only plans at this link (http://spr.ly/6587DvdpH), and our Jetpack options compatible with those plans at this link (http://spr.ly/6588Dvdpy).

Antonio_VZW
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[JONCON87]

Thanks for your reply.

I do not understand why tower/equipment information is proprietary/confidential.  It would seem like something you would want to share with your loyal customers.  I am sure AT&T already knows what you are doing, and it is not like I am going to build a tower and compete with you. 

I have been a customer and paying monthly bills to Verizon for over 15 years.  It doesn't seem like it would be too much to ask for some information that might help me out a little. 

Also, a jetpack would not help unless they are faster and have lower latency than a phone (or iPad) used as a hot spot. 

I guess I need to check out the AT&T performance and see which is better in my area.  I need relief. 

[vzw_customer_support]

We appreciate the feedback and your loyalty, and we would never want to see you go. We want to make sure that we do all we can to help with your service trouble. Can you elaborate on how you use your devices on a daily basis? Do you have access to any WiFi? 

Rogelio_VZW
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[JONCON87]

We use our phones and our iPad as hot spots so we can work on our laptops.  Currently, there is no availability for cable internet or other high-speed internet (fiber, etc.) where we live.   

Some days I have been forced to go to the library and use their WiFi to work because our wireless Verizon) is so slow and unreliable (dropping connections to remote servers).  So the library is an option, but it's 10 miles away and it is not very convenient to drag 2 laptops and other material necessary for work there on a regular basis.

When we first started using Verizon wireless for our home internet option it worked great - we hardly ever had any problems, but as more people in our area have also started using it, the service has degraded significantly. 

[vzw_customer_support]

Having a reliable data connection is a must, JONCON87. Thank you for sharing all the details regarding your internet needs in the home. You’ve taken some great steps in gathering information, too. Let’s take a closer look into things from this end. What zip code are you in? When did you start to have this trouble with the service?

George_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!!

[JONCON87]

We are in zip code 37064 - which covers a lot of area.  The tower that serves our area is located in Davidson County (Metro Nashville) on Hwy 96 less than 1/2 mile from Hwy 100. 

The slowdowns and high latency have been getting steadily worse over the last year.  On weekdays, it seems to be worse in the early to mid morning, and mid to late afternoon.  Sometimes it is bad around noon.  I don't really use the wireless much in the late evenings so I am not sure about how it is then.

Thanks.

[mattqcy1989]

We don’t have much 5G in my area a block away gets 5G UW but when you go to my block it goes to LTE