If you are a Sprint iPhone 5 user and you are experiencing data connection problems (slow data, no connection to 3G, difficulty connecting to WiFi, etc.) your are not alone.
By not alone we mean that EVERY iphone 5 user on Sprint and possibly other networks is having the same problems.
Over the past few weeks both Sprint and Apple have acknowledged the problems in message boards on their respective websites. However, they have not made any official announcement to the media about the problem. Rather than post dozens of links to these message boards, we invite the reader to simply do a Google search for “iPhone 5 Sprint data problems” or “Sprint iPhone 5 connection problems.”
The problem affects texting as well as all forms of data usage. We have read most of the messages on the boards and here’s what we found.
1. Resetting the network settings via the fancy code that Sprint gives you for tower updates will not work.
2. Resetting the network setting on the iPhone itself often works temporarily. Heavy data users will have to do this 5-10 times per day.
3. Sprint and Apple are both aware of the problem and they claim that they are working on a fix.
4. Apple blames Sprint and Sprint blames Apple.
5. Both seem to agree that the problem has something to do with LTE even though the problem is worse in areas without LTE. However, they aren’t sure about this because LTE is so spotty in the few areas that do have it.
6. Our interpretation of things is that Apple really wants to resolve this problem but they are waiting on Sprint to provide something (maybe testing results, maybe confidential radio information) and Sprint is dragging its feet.
7. Sprint seems pretty sure that the problem will go away when they do some sort of planned LTE update in or around 2013.
8. Nobody in a Sprint store has access to any information that gives them the ability to predict a timeline for a fix.
