Shortly after beginning the
shutdown process of AMPS and TDMA networks, and just hours before the launch the EDGE-capable
iPhone, a number of users are reportedly seeing dramatic increases in EDGE throughput. After questioning whether the mobile was actually using
WiFi, a New Yorker began to see if fellow
AT&T customers across the nation were also noticing the substantial boost in speeds; sure enough, it looks like quite a few others are seeing speeds upwards of 200Kbps. Of course, the usual banter over the legitimacy of speed tests conducted on mobiles inevitably ensued, but we're leaving it up to you. So, dear readers, hop on AT&T's 2.5G highway and give it a go, but be sure to return and let us know whether the increases are for real.
[Thanks, Peter]
Update: We tried some speed tests on an EDGE handset ourselves, and though it's been a little inconsistent, we've been shocked to find a number of runs over 200kbps. True, these kinds of speeds are theoretically possible (actually, little known fact, the ITU technically defines EDGE as a 3G standard), but we'd never expect to see them in practice. Should make the iPhone's browsing experience a little more bearable if it holds up!
posted Jun 28th 2007 11:23PM
Just as a reference point: Just ran this test (dslreports.com/mspeed) on my bb 8703e with Verizon in LOW coverage area (1-2 "bars" according to my bb) and I got 976kbit/sec. I always knew EVDO was faster than edge but I didn't think it was that much faster. WOW! By the way, I chose the 1MB download test if that matters.
Comparing EVDO and EDGE is comparing apples to oranges. EDGE is a 2.5G technology and is similar to 1xRTT. EVDO is a 3G technology and is equivalent to UMTS/HSDPA.
Word! I got 1041kbs using 3G on the Blackjack. Why I'm running speed tests at 12:31 am instead of sleeping is beyond me.
1096 kbps on Sprint EVDO. Phone showing 5/6 bars. In Nebraska.
AT&T LG CU 500 in Provo, Utah running the Opera Mini browser. The first two times I ran the speed test with the 1 MB file it was so fast that DSL Reports advised me to choose a larger file for the test (even though 1 MB is the largest). It finally "slowed" down on the 5th try to 1462 kbit/sec.
Tested 3 times in Orlando and here are the numbers..
kbit/sec:
267
275
259
Nice upgrade!!
In the NYC area, I've been consistently getting about 175-200kbs using EDGE. I don't think it's recent, I've been getting that speed for a while now using a Samsung Blackjack with 3g turned off.
I'm just ran a Test on my Sidekick 3...it topped out at 283 kbps!!!!!!!!WTF!!???
Nevermind......it just HIT 1711 KBPS!!!!!
lol, now add 1-4 (10?) million new iPhones to your network, with everyone sucking up data to watch Youtube and stir....
I'll be surprised if you maintain these speeds, we'll see though!
I did notice an increase on my service. I just went to my Black Berry Curve browser and noticed the speed difference when I went to a page. It was significant. Thank you iphone!!!!!!!
Blackberries will survive forever!!!
This is tethering the phone to a PC and using it as a modem or handset browsing?
i did 1714kbit/sec
.262s latency
5.037 d/l time
blackberry pearl in hawaii
Wonder if I'll see a similar boost on my E61i running on t-mobile's network when a big chunk of subscribers port over to AT&T within 30 days (probably more like 30 hours) of buying the iPhone ?
Here in San Francisco on my D807 I got 350. pretty cool
I just did one test with my Sidekick in the San Antonio Texas area, choosing the 1MB option and I got 1783 kbit/sec 0.157s latency and 4.75s d/l can somebody translate this for me? please.
250kbps is the typical speed of EDGE using 4 timeslots and coding scheme MCS9. What speeds where you getting before?
I'm not seeing any improvements (still generally less than 100 kbps) with both T-Mobile (unlimited t-zones plan) and AT&T (unlimite MediaMax 200 plan)... This is using several EDGE dveices (including my Nokia N95) San Francisco (edge of SOMA/Mission/Potrero)!
I ran the 200k, 600k, and 1mb tests three times each on my Blackberry 8300 (curve) in central IL at 6am and here is what I got....
200k:
291 kbits
287 kbits
260 kbits
600k:
461 kbits (WFT?)
291 kbits
299 kbits
1mb:
384 kbits
303 kbits
274 kbits
I am in NJ about 20 minutes from NYC and I got 423.6 kilobits per second.
AT&T boosted the speeds of the egde network over the last few months
You can't run the speedtest on a BlackBerry since everything goes through RIMs server, and the result you get is the speed between the speedtest server and RIM's server.
Todd is correct. You need to run the test through Opera or something. (I believe that works? Correct me if I'm wrong)
No, Opera Mini won't work either since that uses Opera's servers as a proxy to compress and reformat the page too. On a BlackBerry, the only way that I know of is to tether to your computer and use one of the speed test sites on your computer. Same goes for the Sidekick since that uses Danger's servers as a proxy for compression.
Engadget people, I wonder if this speed boost is related to this EDGE Evolution announcement from Ericsson a few months ago.
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/03/15/edge-evolution-will-speed-up-existing-networks/
Cingular uses a proxy server too, so the speeds you see on PIE aren't the true speeds, they are bouncing off the AT&T servers first.
EDGE as ratified by GSM was speeds upto 250kbps. Telenor in Norway was using this number when advertising the arrival of 3G across the network. They were to have 3G in major urban areas but EDGE elsewhere.
Ofcourse a question is can AT&T maintain these numbers when 10 million iPhone users are using it regular (its not a bad price I will say).
I suspect that Mark is right about the proxy servers for ATT/Cingular. In any case, in rural West Tennessee my Palm 680 has gone from 40-58k (on a good day) to consistant 168k at lunchtime. I don't know if I am just used to EDGE running like a paraplegic duck but it seems to be almost as fast as my Palm TX wi-fi. (its nowhere near by the numbers-but the screens are loading so much faster on the Treo.
I'm I the only one that saw a decrease since yesterday? For the past year I've been getting average 120kbits on my Treo 650, but since yesterday afternoon, it has gone down to average 50kbits.
Are they cutting down bandwidth to non iPhones? I can't get my connection to more than 60kbits.
I talked with a small business rep to day. he said that AT&T boosted the Edge, to compensate for the lack of 3g on the Iphone. And the Iphone will be given priority over other phone. So if your connection is slow go hit an Iphone user.
I just pulled a test with my Cingular 8525 (HTC Hermes) running XDA dever Sleuth's WM6 ROM. Got 4098Kbps from performance.toast.net and 4056kbps from dslreports.com/mspeed. I will admit I was using HSDPA/UMTS with only two bars. I can average 6000kbps with full bars.
On my Cingular 8525 post iDay:
Using EDGE
-->249
-->156
-->256
I see consistency is a problem. But it's probably not due to the flux of iPhone users because their phones aren't activated yet!
_______
Yeah, makes me feel better having not purchased on yet, lol.
As of Sunday 7/1, still hitting 220-240 on my Nokia E62.....
If ATT upgrades their networks software with EDGE Evolution software, you can get near EvDO speeds. It would require no hardware changes, in the network, and or in the phone. It's simply a reworking of the EDGE software protocol, and how the protocol operates.
In Minneapolis, MN with an SGH-A707 (Samsung Sync):
1887 kbit/sec
0.296s latency
4.636s d/l time
Scratch the above! As another poster pointed out, running the test on Opera provides incorrect results as it's optimized by Opera's servers.
Running the test a couple of times with the phone's native Media Net browser, I obtained more accurate results of 179kbit/sec and 159 kbit/sec.
FWIW, this is in a generally poor Edge area of South Minneapolis.