The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category. Well, it appears the monolithic telco plans to keep its edge (er...) on the competition -- by upping its HSPA service to a whopping 20Mbps come 2009. Our main man
Ralph de la Vega said that the process wouldn't require a major overhaul to the provider's infrastructure, and that they're already working on punching up the current 3.6Mbps speeds to 7.2Mbps "in the labs." Apparently, this won't stall plans for forthcoming 4G / 700MHz / LTE service from the company -- it'll just be icing on the cake.
Read - Which 3G network is the best?
Read - AT&T plans 20-megabit 3G by 2009
posted May 15th 2008 10:10AM
I live in Sunny South Florida and have done my own speed tests, in practical scenarios and found that Sprint Wins by a landslide, Verizon 2nd, AT&T a distant 3rd, and of course T-Mobile comes last. I did my test using 4 identical laptops side by side using express cards (their profile to me is more practical opposed to having a USB device the size of a phone protruding from your laptop) downloading the same types of content simultaneously at various locations. Download speeds; Sprint is without a doubt the fastest. I think the original article is extremely biased (he must own an iPhone and want to justify in his mind getting the 3G version when it comes out)
I think you are biased. Just because sprint works better in your area doesn't mean AT&T can't possibly be that good in a completely different market. Networks vary by market.
You believe this study to be biased, yet you provide NO specifics of your "testing", such as laptop, cards used, locations, etc. whereas the specifics of the real study are provided?
Here's a clue...EV-DO is quick. HPSA is quicker.
And just for clairification, what 3G service of T-Mobile were you utilizing down in Florida?
Sounds like you're one of the few remaining Sprint customers/fanboys who are trying to justify your loyalty to a provider who gives a whole new meaning to the term "customer service".
I don't see how the article is biased. Sure there's going to be a lot of chest puffing up because their network of choice didn't "win" but it seems like the article and test where pretty objective.
To clarify, I was talking about this article: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless&articleId=9083559&taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_feat
And I do agree that service varies, from place to place hence my opening line "I LIVE IN SUNNY SOUTH FLORIDA". I used HP Pavilion Laptops (would you like the color too or maybe the bios version?)
Ok, so Sprint works ridiculously better in my area (Dade County, Broward County, West Plam Beach County, Monroe County).
For the record, I use Sprint's data network only, I use T-Mobile for voice + data on my phone. And of course there is no 3G T-Mobile network in Sunny South Florida yet (I'm not sure where you heard me say there was, I guess you just made that part up huh?
Cards:
Sprint: Merlin EX720 by Novatel Wireless
Verizon: Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard
AT&T: GT Ultra Express
T-Mobile: Sony Ericsson GC89
Hp Pavilion 9700 series with AMD Processors.
The situation stemmed from an argument me and my friends had over which is the fastest network. We all had the same laptops because my friend owns an electronics store (he was the Verizon user) and I had a Sprint Card, and a T-Mobile Card, and another buddy of mine had an ATT card that he was extremely proud of.
@badquat:
"Sounds like you're one of the few remaining Sprint customers/fanboys who are trying to justify your loyalty to a provider who gives a whole new meaning to the term "customer service"."
OR he's pointing out the fact that this type of test is VERY location dependent. A fact that is conveniently ignored by Engadget and pretty deemphasized in the main article itself. Sorry, but you're an idiot.
@badquat
You are an idiot
@MasterCKO
Thanks, I was starting to think everyone here was as dumb as badquat
I agree, this is VERY MUCH location specific and it bothers me that none of the articles i've seen emphasize this. I know for a fact Verizon is better than ATT in terms of BOTH speed and 3G coverage in my area (silicon valley), so it bothers me that people don't realize how situational this article is.
-Taylor
@Frankie
"I used HP Pavilion Laptops" that doesn't really mean anything. You have to give the model.
wow apparently most people commenting on here dont understand that HSPA is faster than EV-DO, yea yea yea bitch about location etc, but assuming that it is set up right HSPA WILL be faster than EV-DO
@Dave:
Ok, then why isn't the article titled "HSPA is faster than EV-DO"? That would be accurate and non-ambiguous. I'll tell you why, that statement doesn't really mean shit to anyone.
"AT&T is faster than Sprint and Verizon" is a headline that definitely means something to readers. HOWEVER, as a headline, it implies the service as a whole for one carrier is faster than the others. Based on differences in coverage, I would be inclined to think that taken in average across the nation, the statement is flat out wrong, but I can't really say without ACTUAL testing of the fact (which, the "study" in the original article most certainly is not).
That's neither here nor there, though. Useful information about wireless network speed is incredibly location-dependent. Period. You can't conveniently ignore that fact in an article comparing speed differences. Engadget doesn't qualify themselves (actually, it's pretty egregious in the Engadget posting) and the original article only barely qualifies itself. That is bad reporting. Plain and simple.
Well, this group did a one on one test and Sprint came out on top. But most people are right and the mag needs to do a little road trip to do it right, not one city area or lab. But in my travels. I've seen Sprint work better the MAJORITY of the time over everyone else. Plus what they seem to forget, they are cheaper and no caps unless your roaming on data. Then it's starts to look like Verizon.
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10415600/1/sprints-wireless-data-network-trumps-verizons.html
I find the fact sprint loaded the web pages the fastest very interesting.
I have a Sprint and ATT card in NYC and I use the sprint one. ATT peaks high but I find the connection quality is poor.
While speed is important, coverage is WAY more important. Who has the largest 3g data coverage? Sprint because of their data roaming partners?
I might say Verizon, just based on eyeballing coverage maps.
But I most definitely agree, coverage trumps speed -- at least, once you get to a reasonable speed (which EDGE is not).
And let's not forget that AT&T's GSM service offers more flexibility than either Sprint or VZW's data services because AT&T aircards use a SIM card that can be put into other SIM-capable devices to make use of the data features of these devices (sans the iphone, of course). Also, with AT&T you have the option of converting the aircard service line into a voice line at any time (it has a phone# associated with it).
Does that picture many any else dizzy?
"Also, with AT&T you have the option of converting the aircard service line into a voice line at any time (it has a phone# associated with it)."
You can do that with Sprint. I did it with my data card, and vice versa. I believe. Verizon has a number attached to data cards as well.
--James
indeed they do, and you can change the equipment at any time by changing to an appropriate plan.
i dont think you guys are understanding.
his point is the EASE of it with at&t. you can just pull out your sim and put it in any other air card or any phone without having to call customer service or make any changes to your account. you just pull out the sim and put it in any sim device. you can even have your aircard on a family plan to use the shared minutes when u decide to make calls with the sim.
They are all 3g networks folks. If you must know, all are essentially working off the ONE T-1 that is connected to the tower. If 2 users are connected to the tower, both streaming, the max they can download is 1.5. (maybe that means each 750kbs).
Until the launch REV B, REV C, Wimax, etc and incorporate backhaul strategies, then we are going to experience 3G. So, in fact it does come down to coverage for 3G.
WiMax in Chicago is averaging 6-8 meg down and 2-4 meg up. Since all the towers are essentially "meshed" with microwave and fiber backhaul, there is not theoretical limit. like 3g with their 1.5...
give me a break. theyre AT LEAST using T3. so we're talking 45Mbit, not 1.5. i dont believe att would be spending money upgrading from 3.6 to 7.2 to 20 knowing damn well they had a 1.5 bottleneck.
@Mike
Yo, you just got schooled! lol
@youngcalihottie
Yo, you just schooled him! lmao
yea like they said coverage is most important
the numbers for att 3g sounds awfully nice
but too bad i'm worried about where i can and where i can't get it
i haven't had an att 3g so i dunno where, but i know my verizon gets the evdo everywhere i need to go for work/play.
if att could get their 3g coverage in more areas,
i would definitely switch to those speeds
'Course, these numbers will change drastically when the 3G iPhone comes out and starts eating up all of AT&T's W-CDMA (3G) bandwidth.
Sometime in April/May/June last year, AT&T kept increasing their EDGE (2.75G) speeds from about 100kbps to about 250kbps; but as soon as the mad iPhone hurd was unleashed upon us at the end of June, it went back down to the original 100 on a GOOD day.
We can probably expect to seem the same deja vu all over again this time.
-tor
'Course, these numbers will change drastically when the 3G iPhone comes out and starts eating up all of AT&T's W-CDMA (3G) bandwidth.
Will be a moot point once AT&T starts offering femtocells to both residential and business customers some time next year. It will free up bandwidth on the cell towers and allow for HSPA+ and beyond...
how do u figure femtocells would come into play? why would an iphone user get a femtocell for data? lol. why wouldnt they just connect directly to the wifi?
In real everyday life I think Sprint is faster than ATT. IMHO.
hspa is faster than evdo. its a fact.
now it just depends on where you can access it.
maybe where you live att doesnt have hspa. but if they did, it would be faster. thats that.
but i can definitely say that att has poor 3g coverage and even when you can get it the connection is extremely unstable. it also has a terribly high handover-to-edge failure rate in my experiences.
@tc1uscg
good point there and the link just added icing to the cake. Can't forget about sprint unbeatable prices! lol (that's definately going to tick someone off).
@EVERYONE
This link directly opposes the title of this story
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cicguTDA6wE
do people really believe they are going to get 20mbps?
Thats great for AT&T, but they need to focus on getting the coverage to all their customers. Verizon is top dog in that area. Since AT&T pushes 3g enabled phones they should be required to make 3g available to all service areas.
We were promised 3g last year still nothing.
This Sectional Logo gives me a HeaACHE!