AT&T Had Apple Tweak iPhone to Reduce Network Strain

Pre iPhone there were 2 independent studies performed (Telephia and Mind Wireless) that showed that AT&T (Cingular then) had almost 50% fewer dropped calls than Verizon. That is probably not the case now. It is not the network, the network can handle the traffic it was designed to handle. The iPhone spiked traffic above the threshhold that the network was designed for. Adjustments are being made to both the RF layer at the tower and the backhaul system to create more "space' on the network. Lots can be done by adding more sectors to the towers to allow them to handle more. Adding more fiber lines will increase backhaul capabilities. All of this takes time and money.