Did 4G LTE kill my Galaxy SIII or did the Radio develop narcolepsy???

Question

I apologize up front for the length and tedium of this post.  This is wits end, and the last attempt to find a solution or at the very least an honest explanation of the problem and commitment to a solution, without activating an old phone and throwing it back on our corporate rep.  I'm really hoping that it Verizon and Samsung will step up instead of bouncing the blame game back and forth; and I refuse to accept a refurbished phone of any kind as a replacement. 
So here's my saga.  I pre-ordered my SIII and from the initial activation on July 11, 2012 until September 20, 2012 I did not have a single complaint.  I was a raving fan. Battery life was great. No speed issues, no Wi-Fi problems, not a single dropped call, or connection interruption.  This is a work phone, and I am home-based with a Wi-Fi connection so mobile data usage is light, but I rely on voice and text to be available at all times, and on mobile data to know that I have full e-mail access when away from the office.
On September 22 I realized that I had not heard back from a number of texts sent a few days earlier.  I re-booted with a battery pull and messages started popping in.  The problem continued sporadically, but it wasn't constant and there was no material or problematic change in battery life. October 12 I was out of the office all day and unable to hold a mobile signal for more than a few minutes the whole time. That was the first time I saw a rapid battery drain, which I now realize was likely related to constantly searching for service.  The problem continued, and seemed to increase in frequency somewhat.  Occasionally it would display "Searching for Service" and display the No Connection icon in the status bar, but other times the status bar icon with anywhere from 2 to 4 bars would remain the status bar, but the network on the pull down screen would be blank.  It always re-connected with a Power Button Re-Start,  but then a new intermittent problem started where the screen would go black.  Pressing the Volume buttons produce pings, and holding the power button down gets a vibration as though it's powering off - but the only way to bring it back is with a battery pull.
October 16 I headed to the airport to fly from Florida to the corporate office in Portland, OR.  From the moment I left my home Wi-Fi mobile data was dead in the water, voice service was spotty, and I continued to re-start in order to pick up and send texts periodically. October 17 I searched and installed the 4.0.4 update, which was pretty much completed the bricking.  After that the intermittent problems became the norm and it would intermittently hold a connection, the black screen lock up now occurs multiple times a day, often just hours or even minutes apart.  I tried to toggle every variable I could think of (WiFi on/off, SD card out, Power Save settings, etc.) to identify triggers or patterns, with no luck. And then the No SIM Card error started to pop up on occasion.  Thoroughly frustrated after finding similar posts from across the country, I took it in to my local Verizon store on October 22. Of course they had no idea of the problems I described and had not heard of anything even remotely similar. I mentioned that there was some indication that there could be some problem handing off from 4G to 3G, (which I thought may have been relevant since I'd just been in Portland where there was a 4G signal) but that didn't really explain not recognizing the SIM Card. After replacing the SIM card, he handed me the phone with a nice bright 4G icon.  I was not even aware Tallahassee had gotten a 4G signal. My phone actually rang in his hand, which was truly the first call I'd received in weeks.  I took the call, thanked him profusely and chatted all the way to the car and headed for home (a whole mile from Big Red) - except the call dropped as soon as I turned into the neighborhood, less than 1/2 a mile from the main highway.  A hard reset did nothing. Removing and re-seating the SIM card does nothing. With my new found knowledge I set out to see if there had been any issues with the new 4G upgrade, and guess what I found....a press release announcing the 4G LTE expansion effective September 20. Exactly when my problems started...to the day. So more research led me to the Phone Info app to turn off 4G, but that hasn't helped either.
I literally re-start the phone 25-30 times a day, and pull the battery about as many times on top of that. After days of literally watching the phone continuously, I realize that the network connection does not seem to drop if I'm using the screen, no matter how long (at least while the battery lasts), or while it's plugged in to the charger - which makes me think that when the phone goes to sleep, the radio does too.  But there is no way that the timing of the 4G expansion is merely coincidence...so now what???

Answer 1

Have you Made Sure that you PRL is up to Date if it not that can cause Issues Call customer Service and have them Look over your Account if you need to Escalate it to were you can Talk to a Tear 3 Tech Do that & Have them check You PRL and since your phone is 4G Doing a *228 is not Necessary) One other thing installing Sim Cards can be a bit Tricky as they need to Handles by there Edges if the Gold area is Touched in any Way it can Cause serious Implications to phone as all of the Information is Store on the Sim to make the Phone Work) I have to 4G phones and i have Not had and issue with Either one of My Maxx's on my First one i bought i got it 9 months and i have not had the Sim out since installing my self..
So you might Check those Two things and Hopefully your Phone returns to operating as it Was intended for.. b33