As well respected as the company may be that gathered the data AT&T reported, AT&T didn't reveal the scope of their testing. If, for example, their scope was to test calls while driving the major Interstates of the US, of course the dropped call rate was low. Every wireless carrier focuses their coverage there. What about off the big highways, though, where customers also make calls? I didn't let any independent test company into my house so they could take a reading and I know my company didn't let anyone in the door to test at my office. The fact is that you only have to be in an area of no coverage for a few seconds for your call to drop. That's why coverage maps matter for consumers and why all the holes in AT&T's coverage maps are a weakness. If we wanted great coverage in only a few places, we'd have been better off sticking with wired telephones and cordless base stations.
I'd be curious of the results if the FCC released a call drop reporting app like their broadband test app for mobile phones. Real results would speak much more loudly than nebulous tests. I'm also interested in finding out how many calls made to me never came through. There are plenty of people who don't bother leaving a voicemail anymore. If the phone was not connected when the call was missed and they didn't leave a message, I'd never know about it.
I'd really like to see a change in the way we're billed for wireless service. I posted an idea where we're billed for the time we're connected, rather than in buckets of minutes and bytes which are easy for the carrier to measure but meaningless in determining the level of service we receive, here: http://agcrazylegs.blogspot.com/2010...lan-model.html
The trouble with the "cell phones fry your brain" theory as well as the "power lines cause cancer" theory, is that there is just enough truth in it that it can never be wholly discounted. While most of what you hear is nonsense, there are some studies that indicate that living near power lines can cause higher rates of cancer and some studies that indicate certain cell phones are bad for your brain.
From the reading I've done, the only real things to worry about are living close to and *downwind* (because of the ionising effect) from giant power lines for long periods of time, and letting your children use cellphones too much (because the radiation does actually heat up your brain and their brains are still growing). The cell towers themselves don't have any adverse effects at all that I've read about.
As one independent survivor of cancer. I will say, I lived in a low income neighborhood, DIRECTLY under those very large power lines, and by the age of 4, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia. However, since the causes of A.L.L. are not truly known, it could have been just a huge coincidence.
And that said, I will agree that Cell Towers themselves don't provide the negative effects of EMF pollution that higher power transmission lines emit. And a lot of it is just mass hysteria.
If SNAFU is so adamant against Cell and WiFi proliferation, yet complaining about their lack of adequate call quality, what do they propose to implement to improve their conditions?
I live in Dallas, TX. One of the many very large metropolitan areas with poor quality. Currently working with ATT to rectify it. For instance, on Wed. I had 7 dropped calls between 3 conversations. And my dBm is mainly in the -101 to -113 range (1 to no bars), yet ATT said yesterday, that I'm in-between two very large and "stable" 3G towers. On most days, if I'm making a lot of calls, I can sometimes average about 4-5 dropped calls per day-per week. In the middle of a "3G Saturated area". That is either a reception issue, or a network over-saturation that ATT is supposedly working on. But for as long as I've had an iPhone (2 years), I've had that problem. While on Verizon, I almost never dropped a call, and if I did, was typically when leaving coverage areas (boonies). Out of the two iPhones in my household (3G, 3GS), they average the same statistics. With the 3G with slightly better reception than the 3GS, (when displaying the dBm rate rather than Bars.)
But that's just one report from a known problematic area, and not indicative of a nation wide epidemic. So, take it for what you will. Anecdotal evidence at it's best.
As one independent survivor of cancer. I will say, I lived in a low income neighborhood, DIRECTLY under those very large power lines, and by the age of 4, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia. However, since the causes of A.L.L. are not truly known, it could have been just a huge coincidence.
Sorry to hear that - glad to hear a positive outcome - but from what I have read - the "low income" portion of what you wrote has a much higher correlation to all sorts or childhood or early onset medical problems. In large part resulting from factors such as poor nutrition, lack of access to pre-natal care, family history, and many other factors. In many cases the out come of an epidemiolgic study has as much to do with how all the factors such as age, income, education, etc are controlled for and why one study may find one result in another find exactly the opposite.
Other factors could just as easily be related to something in common to an area which only coincidentally happens to be near power lines - Radon in the soil for example.
We (Daniel and I) are residents of San Francisco. The special interest groups are hard on San Francisco, with Spies of the Urban Forest running around looking for trees and jackhammering them in front of homes and businesses (literally, to made the hole in the sidewalk for them).
Well, every place has their special interests. I think I'd prefer the ones you have there to the special interests that bring deep-water drilling just off your shores, now covered in oil.
That ChangeWave survey is not suitable. 4,000 people, and asking them, "Hey, so.. umm... how many dropped calls you had? What'dya think?"
I'm not saying ATT is good or not, just saying the ChangeWave methodology is not appropriate for the data needed.
The number of people surveyed is probably fine. Other parts of the methodology might not be. If the sample is properly randomized, then that's a problem. If the samples are not sufficiently randomized, multiplying the number of people asked will likely yield the same error.
The article doesn't say specifically how the user reporting was done. It would be nice to see what the survey looked like, I would hope that it was something like the radio audience survey that I participated in some time back where you recorded the service usage pretty thoroughly. I would hope that they asked the user make a record of each call, its length, whether it was dropped and maybe the location of the call.
I can't find the methodology of either test, and the test done by the GWS folks might also have sampling problems as well. Obviously they couldn't test every street economically, and the fact it was called a drive test suggests they didn't go into any buildings.
In the end it's kind of a stalemate without more information.
I'd like to see the data state by state. While the number seems a little low I wouldn't be suprised to see some states in the 7%, & 8% category.
Service could and should be better. I'd like to see how many applications for permits to build a cell tower ATT has filed in CA. And in New York, whats their excuse.
Hahaha this is so funny.. AT&T has the most important phone deal in the world and it thinks it can just lay back and relax while millions of users complain about their phone service... NO...move your butts.
I read the entire article BEFORE I noticed who wrote. But, when I go to the end, I thought: only Daniel could have written this.
San Francisco is the most dysfunctional city I know of. And, I love to visit as a tourist.
But, the idiotic laws that both the Board and the citizens pass are just insane.
Try Washington DC. The Metro and Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Decades delays and billions in over runs in large part due to politics. The industry of the city.
Hahaha this is so funny.. AT&T has the most important phone deal in the world and it thinks it can just lay back and relax while millions of users complain about their phone service... NO...move your butts.
I'll never forget the day I bought an iphone and left verizon. Dropped 3 calls and lost a half dozen text messages the first day. Something that never happened on my $20 verizon phone. Back on verizon and I'll never go back to att.
Comments
I'd be curious of the results if the FCC released a call drop reporting app like their broadband test app for mobile phones. Real results would speak much more loudly than nebulous tests. I'm also interested in finding out how many calls made to me never came through. There are plenty of people who don't bother leaving a voicemail anymore. If the phone was not connected when the call was missed and they didn't leave a message, I'd never know about it.
I'd really like to see a change in the way we're billed for wireless service. I posted an idea where we're billed for the time we're connected, rather than in buckets of minutes and bytes which are easy for the carrier to measure but meaningless in determining the level of service we receive, here: http://agcrazylegs.blogspot.com/2010...lan-model.html
The trouble with the "cell phones fry your brain" theory as well as the "power lines cause cancer" theory, is that there is just enough truth in it that it can never be wholly discounted. While most of what you hear is nonsense, there are some studies that indicate that living near power lines can cause higher rates of cancer and some studies that indicate certain cell phones are bad for your brain.
From the reading I've done, the only real things to worry about are living close to and *downwind* (because of the ionising effect) from giant power lines for long periods of time, and letting your children use cellphones too much (because the radiation does actually heat up your brain and their brains are still growing). The cell towers themselves don't have any adverse effects at all that I've read about.
As one independent survivor of cancer. I will say, I lived in a low income neighborhood, DIRECTLY under those very large power lines, and by the age of 4, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia. However, since the causes of A.L.L. are not truly known, it could have been just a huge coincidence.
And that said, I will agree that Cell Towers themselves don't provide the negative effects of EMF pollution that higher power transmission lines emit. And a lot of it is just mass hysteria.
If SNAFU is so adamant against Cell and WiFi proliferation, yet complaining about their lack of adequate call quality, what do they propose to implement to improve their conditions?
I live in Dallas, TX. One of the many very large metropolitan areas with poor quality. Currently working with ATT to rectify it. For instance, on Wed. I had 7 dropped calls between 3 conversations. And my dBm is mainly in the -101 to -113 range (1 to no bars), yet ATT said yesterday, that I'm in-between two very large and "stable" 3G towers. On most days, if I'm making a lot of calls, I can sometimes average about 4-5 dropped calls per day-per week. In the middle of a "3G Saturated area". That is either a reception issue, or a network over-saturation that ATT is supposedly working on. But for as long as I've had an iPhone (2 years), I've had that problem. While on Verizon, I almost never dropped a call, and if I did, was typically when leaving coverage areas (boonies). Out of the two iPhones in my household (3G, 3GS), they average the same statistics. With the 3G with slightly better reception than the 3GS, (when displaying the dBm rate rather than Bars.)
But that's just one report from a known problematic area, and not indicative of a nation wide epidemic. So, take it for what you will. Anecdotal evidence at it's best.
As one independent survivor of cancer. I will say, I lived in a low income neighborhood, DIRECTLY under those very large power lines, and by the age of 4, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia. However, since the causes of A.L.L. are not truly known, it could have been just a huge coincidence.
Sorry to hear that - glad to hear a positive outcome - but from what I have read - the "low income" portion of what you wrote has a much higher correlation to all sorts or childhood or early onset medical problems. In large part resulting from factors such as poor nutrition, lack of access to pre-natal care, family history, and many other factors. In many cases the out come of an epidemiolgic study has as much to do with how all the factors such as age, income, education, etc are controlled for and why one study may find one result in another find exactly the opposite.
Other factors could just as easily be related to something in common to an area which only coincidentally happens to be near power lines - Radon in the soil for example.
We (Daniel and I) are residents of San Francisco. The special interest groups are hard on San Francisco, with Spies of the Urban Forest running around looking for trees and jackhammering them in front of homes and businesses (literally, to made the hole in the sidewalk for them).
Well, every place has their special interests. I think I'd prefer the ones you have there to the special interests that bring deep-water drilling just off your shores, now covered in oil.
Berkeley is as bad as San Francisco in making it difficult to get cell towers approved.
Funny though that they don't complain at all about all the 545 THz EMF transmitters all over the city which don't even need a permit.
People even have them in their houses and cars but don't seem at all concerned.
But a cell tower....
That ChangeWave survey is not suitable. 4,000 people, and asking them, "Hey, so.. umm... how many dropped calls you had? What'dya think?"
I'm not saying ATT is good or not, just saying the ChangeWave methodology is not appropriate for the data needed.
The number of people surveyed is probably fine. Other parts of the methodology might not be. If the sample is properly randomized, then that's a problem. If the samples are not sufficiently randomized, multiplying the number of people asked will likely yield the same error.
The article doesn't say specifically how the user reporting was done. It would be nice to see what the survey looked like, I would hope that it was something like the radio audience survey that I participated in some time back where you recorded the service usage pretty thoroughly. I would hope that they asked the user make a record of each call, its length, whether it was dropped and maybe the location of the call.
I can't find the methodology of either test, and the test done by the GWS folks might also have sampling problems as well. Obviously they couldn't test every street economically, and the fact it was called a drive test suggests they didn't go into any buildings.
In the end it's kind of a stalemate without more information.
Service could and should be better. I'd like to see how many applications for permits to build a cell tower ATT has filed in CA. And in New York, whats their excuse.
I read the entire article BEFORE I noticed who wrote. But, when I go to the end, I thought: only Daniel could have written this.
San Francisco is the most dysfunctional city I know of. And, I love to visit as a tourist.
But, the idiotic laws that both the Board and the citizens pass are just insane.
Try Washington DC. The Metro and Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Decades delays and billions in over runs in large part due to politics. The industry of the city.
Hahaha this is so funny.. AT&T has the most important phone deal in the world and it thinks it can just lay back and relax while millions of users complain about their phone service... NO...move your butts.
I'll never forget the day I bought an iphone and left verizon. Dropped 3 calls and lost a half dozen text messages the first day. Something that never happened on my $20 verizon phone. Back on verizon and I'll never go back to att.
Well first of all, I don't know if I believe AT&T's claims of only dropping 1.44% of calls made with 3G cellphones
I highly doubt anyone actually believes that it's anywhere near that low. Maybe the decimal point is misplaced.