Is Apple Working on Sprint’s Data Speed Problem?

Complaints about slow data speeds via the Sprint network have been piling up ever since the iPhone 4S launched on October 14. Sprint publicly denied the problem a few days later, but a recently leaked internal email revealed that Sprint and Apple are now acknowledging the issue.

According to onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/thenextweb.com/apple/2011/10/24/sprint-and-apple-are-working-on-a-nationwide-issue-with-data-speeds/');" target="_blank" href="http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/10/24/sprint-and-apple-are-working-on-a-nationwide-issue-with-data-speeds/">Next Web, an e-mail sent to Sprint representatives confirmed there is a “nationwide issue” with data speeds, and that Sprint and Apple are working on it together. The memo didn’t offer a cause for the problem or a timeframe for fixing it.

One Sprint customer claims a Sprint representative read him the e-mail and offered him a free onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/mobile.engadget.com/2010/08/19/sprints-3g-capable-airave-from-airvana-starts-shipping/');" target="_blank" href="http://mobile.engadget.com/2010/08/19/sprints-3g-capable-airave-from-airvana-starts-shipping/">AirRave 3G Airvana hotspot as a solution.

Originally Sprint said there were only a “small number of reports of slow data speeds when using the iPhone 4S,” but postings on Sprint and Apple forums suggest otherwise. If the problem is widespread, it could be a problem with the iPhone 4S baseband firmware or the device itself according to The Next Web.

Here’s Sprint’s original response to the complaints:

“As always, Sprint is carefully monitoring the performance of the 3G network. We are looking into a small number of reports of slow data speeds when using the iPhone 4S, however there are also reports showing that Sprint’s network is the fastest, such as the Gizmodo report that came out earlier today. Speed tests represent a moment in time and are subject to many variables including weather, time of day, device, and proximity to a tower. Sprint will continue to monitor the feedback we are getting from our customers and will investigate and resolve any issues that may arise.”