**Update: Yes, an update on a barely 30-second old post. I just noticed that if you zoom in super close and toggle “show 3G”, the old 3G coverage spots pop back up. Still, it’s a shifty move to display the map in a zoomed out view the way the do because let’s be real, who actually zooms in that far? Most of us I’d gather make a quick glance for our general location. Rant stands…
For as much as we’ve heard recently about AT&T actually standing behind a promise (for once), one would think that they may be finally “seeing the light” in regards to being more consumer friendly. Unfortunately, it looks like they’re just out to lie to unassuming customers yet again. Case in point: AT&T apparently recently revamped their coverage maps. Before, visiting http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/ and selecting “data” would give users the default 2/2.5G network with the option to toggle 3G on and off. Now however, customers only see “national data coverage” which obviously by looking at the map, isn’t completely 3G.
Even worse, clicking on the “3G Mobile Voice/Broadband” option (which is oddly only included on the voice map page) brings up nothing but a long list of states and cities where 3G is available — not a much easier and more useful to read map like there used to be.
It doesn’t take a genius to see AT&T made these changes to give the false impression that their 3G coverage covers most of the country. We all know it doesn’t. We all know mile for mile, Verizon’s is largest. Though I will add that as PC World’s new speed tests recently confirmed, AT&T has rocketed ahead in urban areas as fastest 3G carrier. Even still, blatantly hiding the truth and flat out lying to customers isn’t too intelligent. Back to the same old AT&T ways I see.
**A quick check on the 3 other major US carriers confirms that they all still correctly display 3G coverage, allowing you to separate it from 2 and 2.5G coverage.
