LTE Connectivity Issues?

[pjcloninger]

Ok, I'll try to make this as short as possible...

My wife and I (and several family members) have an iPhone 5 on Sprint. Since purchasing the phones in Feb., I have left "Enable LTE" turned off, since I assumed we didn't have it and I could save battery. Recently, several family members and friends have been telling me they almost always have LTE coverage throughout Greater Knoxville. This was also confirmed by checking Sensorly (map attached), which shows most of the area saturated with Sprint LTE. My wife and mother (both with iPhone 5's on Sprint) can turn LTE on and immediately connect with no issues and great service. If I try, standing right next to them, my phone will not. All mine will do is switch between 3G and 1X. I have even tried in other areas/cities with Sprint LTE and have never been able to connect to it.

Additional info:

Unlike the other members of my family, my phone drops multiple calls and has much more connectivity issues.

Here is what I've tried so far:

1 Restart phone
2 Toggle LTE on and off
3 Reset network settings
4 Dial ##UPDATE# and ##CLEAR#
5 Call Sprint....Was told since LTE was not "officially announced" here, there is nothing they can do. (This was after explaining what I just wrote above)
6 Went to Apple Store. They ran a diagnostic and said nothing seemed wrong.

I truly feel like something isn't right, but I can't get anyone else to see that, lol.

Any comments or insights would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Just_Me_D]

All that is left to do is backup your device via iCloud and/or iTunes (Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes), put your device in DFU mode and then restore it. Afterwards, choose to set the device as new when prompted. Do not install any apps or restore from a backup yet. Check to see if you have LTE service. If so, either continue setting your device up manually or go ahead and restore the backup you just made. If not, make a genius bar appointment with the nearest Apple Store and explain the situation to them.

 

[pjcloninger]

All that is left to do is backup your device via iCloud and/or iTunes (Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes), put your device in DFU mode and then restore it. Afterwards, choose to set the device as new when prompted. Do not install any apps or restore from a backup yet. Check to see if you have LTE service. If so, either continue setting your device up manually or go ahead and restore the backup you just made. If not, make a genius bar appointment with the nearest Apple Store and explain the situation to them.

Thanks!

I will try setting up as new and see what happens.

I did go to the Apple store last night and had them check. They ran a diagnostic and said everything looked good.

Just frustrated that I can't figure it out.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Thanks!

I will try setting up as new and see what happens.

I did go to the Apple store last night and had them check. They ran a diagnostic and said everything looked good.

Just frustrated that I can't figure it out.

I hear ya, and I know I would be the exact same way, and that is why I am quick to restore as new if I run into problems with my Apple devices.

 

[sting7k]

Thanks!

I will try setting up as new and see what happens.

I did go to the Apple store last night and had them check. They ran a diagnostic and said everything looked good.

Just frustrated that I can't figure it out.

If restoring it as new does not fix the problem then go back to Apple and keep complaining until they replace it for you.

 

[pjcloninger]

I wasn't able to do the reset today, but should be able to tomorrow. I'll be sure to update as I go.

I thought for sure somebody else would've had a similar problem.

Thanks so far!

 

[kch50428]

One thing to try before doing the full blown restore: go to Settings... General... Reset... Reset Network Settings

 

[pjcloninger]

One thing to try before doing the full blown restore: go to Settings... General... Reset... Reset Network Settings

Thanks Keith. That was actually one of the first few things I did. I also tried ##UPDATE# and ##CLEAR#. I even went as far as calling Sprint and have them reset on their end, although they were reluctant and told me there was no problem.

 

[dictoresno]

Have sprint change your SIM card. Usually LTE provisioning is done through that and it's necessary for your phone to connect to the LTE network.

 

[pjcloninger]

Have sprint change your SIM card. Usually LTE provisioning is done through that and it's necessary for your phone to connect to the LTE network.

That's actually a good idea as we'll. I did open the sim tray and put it back in to see if that helped, but no luck.

 

[pjcloninger]

Ok, this is just a quick update for anyone who was following...

After multiple phone calls and trips to Sprint, I think I have narrowed down the issue to a discrepancy in the SIM card number that is in my phone and the one Sprint has on file. When I called Sprint to have them update their system with my actual SIM card number, they stated that number shows that it is active on another device. For the record, this phone was purchased new from Sprint and the SIM card came with it.

I have an appointment at the Apple store tomorrow morning to see if they will swap my SIM card with a new one

The saga continues...

 

[kch50428]

Yeah... a new SIM should fix things right up for you... Sprint should be able to get you one...

 

[pjcloninger]

New SIM card did the trick! I finally have LTE!

 

[dictoresno]

New SIM card did the trick! I finally have LTE!

i knew it would work, good deal!