Verizon iphone 5 issues - LTE vs 3G

We have just gotten two new iphones, the latest model. This is our first time having iphones.

My phone hangs on downloading email or loading webpages when on LTE, with two bars signal strength. Speedtest.net app never even returns a ping.

Yesterday, Verizon recommended that I do a restore. Today, I am having the same issues. Tried the latest updates which also did not help. If I turn off LTE in settings works fine but slow...

LTE outside, with 5 bars I get 2.72Mbps

LTE inside, with 2 bars never returns ping & web pages will not load

3G inside, with 3 bars 0.81Mbps but web pages load

Is this typical, or does this iphone possibly need to be replaced?

Thanks in advance

 

Update: Verizon replaced the phone. At first they said it was a bad sim, then when I told them it had 2GB of data usage incorrectly logged on the first day (despite calling Verizon and being told it was much less) they replaced it with a new one.

The new phone has the same issue - will not load web pages or get/send email with LTE enabled and 2-3 bars of reception. Works fine when LTE is disabled...

Now, Verizon reps were actually in our cafeteria today. AND they had a Iphone 5 that they could not get to work reliably in our location either on LTE. Exact same symptoms - they had some guesses as to "why". Nothing however that would lead to a fix in my case or theirs...

The other sales person had an iphone 4 also which worked but did not have LTE.

They had another phone (Motorola I think) that at least worked on LTE but had terribly slow data rates.

 

The simple interpretation seems to be network related. Have you tried the phone to compare in other locations? Can you get it to work "normally" in other locations?

Cafeteria? You mean at work? I have Verizon but at HTC Thunderbolt, and wife has iPhone4 but we never have troubles in Broadlands.

 

If the phone signal is fine when it is not inside the building you're talking about, it may be an issue of how the building is constructed (cinder block type?) or amount of devices in use in that location. Are there a lot of electronics competing for access in the building? Or maybe the building itself is not very conducive to getting a good signal due to how it is constructed or where you are inside the building (underground?).

I have a hard time getting a signal just inside a local elementary school but I'm not sure exactly why except that I think it's a cinder block building (is it?) and nothing can penetrate it. I'm no expert, but that's my two cents. Hope you get it working!

 

I have since tried it in other location and seems to work fine. I was trying to get info quick, in case we needed to take advantage of the 14 day policy.

 

There is a lot of concrete, but I have a window office. Also, with the Verizon reps we were right by a window in the cafeteria. There is a lot of competing electronics.

The reps seemed to think one possibility might be coverage overlap.