iPhone's 3G signal comparison USA vs Korea

To be exact, it should be AT&T vs. SHOW(a.k.a. KT).

I am currently in Korea, visiting my families for the holiday. At first, I rented a Samsung cell phone from the airport, but I just couldn’t be satisfied with it – ever since I switched to iPhone, I can’t touch any other cell phone. As a last resolution, I convinced my father, who is an iPhone application developer, to get me an iPhone; I told him it was a wise investment as he can use the phone for development purposes even after I depart to the States.

Until the introduction of 3G in Korea, Korean cell phone network was only using the CDMA. As such, iPhone users must use the 3G network for all calls and data, even though iPhone supports both GSM and 3G network. In short, if an iPhone user turns off the 3G option from the iPhone, h/she gets absolutely no signal in Korea.

At first, I was extremely worried about using the 3G network ONLY. In the Bay area, there are many locations where you just don’t get any 3G signals. So, if I drive with my 3G setting on, iPhone will automatically and endlessly switch between GSM and 3G network. Moreover, I have also realized that using the 3G setting minimizes the battery consumption. To my surprise, however, my iPhone experience in Korea was remarkable.

The 3G network signal in Korea is just PERFECT. Korea has small cell towers everywhere – including the supermarket, underground parking garage, subway, and etc. Therefore, I get a full bar anywhere, except when I am inside the elevator.

In summary, the battery life is much better than what I expected, even compared to my experience with the AT&T. In general, if the iPhone users is in a bad signal or dead zone, their cell phones work extra harder to receive/send signals and drain the battery as a result. It looks like having a full coverage really helps to save the battery life. Even though I had the 3G setting and the push notification simultaneously, my iPhone lasted 24 hours straight in Korea, as opposed to 8 hours in the States.

Korea is small compare to USA and Seoul, its capital, ranks the highest in population city is high density population density among the OECD countries. This makes it easy and necessary for carriers to implement newer and better technology. So far, I am extremely satisfied with the iPhone coverage in Korea.