AT&T Testing 7.2Mbps 3G In ChicagoCarriers eager to deploy lower latency HSPA+ ( old news - 04:52PM Thursday Dec 18 2008) tags: business · wireless · bandwidthThere's a slew of global wireless carriers that are eager to upgrade to High Speed Packet Access Evolution (HSPA+) services as soon as modems are available, delivering theoretical speeds of 42Mbps/22Mbps. In Australia, Telstra and Ericsson just completed the first real world data "call" on a 21Mbps HSPA+ network. Peder Ramel, CEO of mobile operator 3 Scandinavia, says the lower latency should have wireless operators competing with landline carriers. Here in the States, AT&T says they'll be milking HSPA+ before jumping to LTE, AT&T's Ralph de la Vega recently saying they've already got 7.2Mbps HSDPA working in the labs, and will deploy 20Mbps HSPA release 7 sometime in 2009. AT&T today confirmed that they're currently testing the faster 7Mbps speeds in Chicago: Interestingly, though, Siegel did say AT&T Mobility is testing 7.2 megabit per second download speeds in Chicago, adding that those speeds could soon increase to 14.4 Mbps or higher. Siegel declined to explain the technologies powering those speeds. Meanwhile, The United States' other major GSM/HSDPA carrier, T-Mobile, recently noted that overseas they'll keep with HSDPA until it runs out of software upgrades, at which point they'll jump directly to LTE. Given they just started deploying HSDPA here in the States, it's likely T-Mobile customers could be waiting for these faster speeds for a while.
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BF69
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | With 5 GB caps who cares? Seriously with what you can do with only 5 GB per month you don't need 7.2 Mbps. | |
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Aozora
join:2008-11-28
 ·Comcast
| Re: With 5 GB caps who cares? said by BF69  :Seriously with what you can do with only 5 GB per month you don't need 7.2 Mbps. Every company thinks all a user wants to do is check the weather and e-mail online. A 5GB cap is plenty for that kind of thinking. | |
| | | robl27
Premium
join:2008-07-16
Mary Esther, FL | Re: With 5 GB caps who cares? yup, forget the rest of us.
not to mention their pay per byte thinking.
dream on.
-Rob | |
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Mizzat
Will post for thumbs
Premium
join:2003-05-03
Atlanta, GA | Re: With 5 GB caps who cares? not used to it yet? Dial up was the same way when it first came out, DSL was as well, now another new technology is. Been going on for at least a decade now... | |
| | | | | keyboard5684
join:2001-08-01
Youngsville, PA | Re: With 5 GB caps who cares? It is a phone? How much data do you really stream on your phone, tethered or not? | |
| | | | | | Metatron2008
join:2008-09-02
Stockbridge, GA | Re: With 5 GB caps who cares? You guys DO realize 20 mBIT internet will HAMMER cell phone towers right? | |
| | | | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| said by keyboard5684 :It is a phone? How much data do you really stream on your phone, tethered or not? ... and when you pick up your phone at home, do you still flicker the switch hook and wait for Mabel or Sarah to ask you what number you want to be connected to?
In some cases I'd agree with you, but my question to you is, why are you living in today and tomorrow.. have you looked at what's coming down in the future?
Take a REALLY good look at land line based internet. The applications are getting heavier and the land lines are not, according to some, either ready or simply keeping up with it. People wonder every day why its taking the providers time to "get with it" and upgrade speeds.
So, here we have AT&T, a U.S. Carrier, trying to push forward with faster speeds and you're asking why?
There is another saying.. if you don't need it, don't use it. | |
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BF69
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN
| said by Aozora :said by BF69 :Seriously with what you can do with only 5 GB per month you don't need 7.2 Mbps. Every company thinks all a user wants to do is check the weather and e-mail online. A 5GB cap is plenty for that kind of thinking. Sure it is but you don't need 7.2 Mbps to check e-mail and weather. Which is kind of my point. | |
| | lastmile
join:2007-09-08
Robertsville, MO
 ·Cingular Wireless
| AT&T: deploy that upgraded software -- I'll take 7.2Mbps anyday considering users with few broadband alternatives.
Also agree they should do something about the 5GB cap -- they could offer a different service plan for more dough. Build it and they will come. | |
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hitawallfaste
@sbcglobal.net | hitawallfaste Another waste of technology. Thank you AT&T pay per byte marketing, I'm sure this will go well....NOT!. | |
| AVonGauss
Premium,MVM
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL | Chicago? So, Chicago, what's your experience? Faster speed, better latency? | |
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jchambers28
join:2007-05-12
Alma, AR | well half of my wishes are coming true. Raise the cap to 200 GB per month and I will buy it not until! | |
| GMFreak8
join:2005-11-17
Malone, NY
| 3G coverage ATT can barely deploy UMTS and they're talking about upgrading to HSPA+. Their UMTS network is a joke compared to Verizon and Sprint EVDO coverage. Which is sad especially for me, considering I have to try and sell people on ATT data plans at my job when they can go right across the street and get a plan from Verizon that offers a much better data experience. I've run out of excuses for ATT being so slow at deploying a decent 3G coverage area. | |
| | sharksfan3
Premium
join:2004-02-16
Poughkeepsie, NY | Re: 3G coverage Sorry, but I will take HSDPA over EVDO any day.
I have a VZW broadband access card from my job, and an internal AT&T 3G card in my laptop. I find EVDO to be painfully slow. | |
| | | carolx79
join:2007-05-04
Frankfort, IN | Re: 3G coverage Blame VZW not EVDO. Lafayette, In Sprint EVDO spanks all over AT&T's 3g. | |
| | | | 
iLive4Apple
Hybrid power
Premium
join:2006-07-13
Helena, AL | Re: 3G coverage If and when AT&T does get 3G correctly deployed on a tower spacing not designed for 1900mhz in some area's. Won't it be a lot faster than Sprint? And what's the fastest possible speed I can see from my HTC Diamond? | |
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joako
Premium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| said by GMFreak8 :ATT can barely deploy UMTS and they're talking about upgrading to HSPA+. Their UMTS network is a joke compared to Verizon and Sprint EVDO coverage. Which is sad especially for me, considering I have to try and sell people on ATT data plans at my job when they can go right across the street and get a plan from Verizon that offers a much better data experience. I've run out of excuses for ATT being so slow at deploying a decent 3G coverage area. I was never able to get faster than 500kbps on Sprint EV-DO. For me AT&T EDGE feels just as fast as Sprint EVDO when browsing webpages. The advantage I see is with HSDA I can be on the phone and use data at the same time, which I couldn't do anyways with Sprint... none Sprint's current devices (RevA) can do it, either. So until AT&T deploys 3G everywhere I get the same exact experience I had with Sprint.
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SeVere
join:2001-01-06
Chicago, IL | Chicago I don't notice any difference, it still seems slow. | |
| Metatron2008
join:2008-09-02
Stockbridge, GA | 5 gig caps or not, I welcome 20 mBIT. I have internet at home, and I really check small things when I'm somewhere. This will get things done alot faster.
I do understand that people using 3g for just internet will be affected fast, but they would be affected now too. | |
| nerdboy789
join:2004-06-07
Rigby, ID
| Will the higher speeds be realized. For the iPhone? I have one and I know theoretically it's capable of 7.2Mbps due to the chipset in it. Not that it much matters because 3G is almost nonexistent in my area but it's nice to see  | |
| bgreen965
join:2005-04-26
Savannah, GA | What about the rest of us stuck on the edge.... I'm all for faster speeds, but why not spend a little more time delivering 3G services to unserved GSM markets. They seem to be jumping the gun a 'little' here. | |
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jmpenguin
Jmpenguin
Premium
join:2004-01-16
Labelle, FL
| Re: What about the rest of us stuck on the edge.... Amen -- Cover the country with ATT 3G then worry about higher speeds.
Or deploy the higher speeds to the unserved areas first then to currently served areas.
In my home area no 3G, its not from lack of users just bean counters checking zip codes for home billing locations not realizing people travel daily into or through these areas.
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Comcast HSI or AirCard either Sprint or ATT WINXP-Pro, LAN Firefox Thunderbird Gmail
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| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
·Comcast
 ·Qwest.net
 ·magicjack.com
·BeeCreek Communica..
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| All about the backhaul... HSUPA is awesome for uploads. Gizmodo's recent tests confirmed this. Though it also seems that, when properly tuned (Verizon) EvDO can get some pretty cool speeds as well. Sprint's service seems tuned for downloads OTOH...
...but the big problem here is congestion, both frequency-wise and backhaul-wise. If you're not devoting a ton of spectrum to data, everyone has to share that spectrum, and you gotta spread it thinly.
Additionally, if you're not providing enough bandwidth to the tower, you're not going to get enough bandwidth to the user. Last summer, frequent use of an AT&T aircard gave speeds max'ing out at 1.3 Mbps, comparable to Qwest 1.5/896 DSL, except with more latency. The card can do 7.2 Mbps, and the network can do 3.6 + HSUPA. Does it? Nope.
Sprint OTOH seems to be utilizing their EvDO service for maximum possible downlink speeds in many areas. It's probably easier on them since EvDO operates on 1.25 MHz channels, rather than 5 MHz slices required for HSPA. Still, I can get a 1.2-1.5 Mbps Sprint connection anywhere with a decent EvDO signal, whereas AT&T doesn't have 3G around here, and where they do speeds are a bit less. The Sprint stats are from using a phone; aircards would be even faster.
Honestly, I'd be happy as a clam if I got 2500/1000 speeds over EvDO, which is very possible. Same thing with HSPA on AT&T. But they have to work out the backhaul problem first. Case in point: Xohm delayed due to lack of backhaul. | |
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No more CableGuy
@cingular.com
| The future is coming soon.... Sure why do we need the speed on a phone? Because it's not just a phone that they are trying to speed up, right? This is the start to replacing wi-fi, cable and dsl, with data sent to your device, computer, car or even toaster.
The point is that technology moves forward, and the innovations and use of it will follow. (Who ever thought in 1995 you would need anything more then a 56k modem, anyway?)
I have fantastic AT&T 3G coverage here in MN, with speeds on average about 800-1000. Is it perfect? Nope. But, in a few years, we will all be wondering what happened to those cable guys, dsl guys anyway.... | |
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joako
Premium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
·AT&T U-Verse
| Re: The future is coming soon.... said by No more CableGuy :
Who ever thought in 1995 you would need anything more then a 56k modem, anyway? I did. In 1995 I was using 128kbps ISDN.
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| | tmoore44
join:2004-08-05
Chicago, IL
| Nearby 3G tower outage (downtown Chicago) I haven't had a 3G signal for the past week here in downtown Chicago (Van Buren & Desplaines St). I finally called AT&T and they said they are working on tower and gave me a data plan credit. I am hoping the work is part of this upgrade. I noticed spotty 3G in other places as well downtown when I went for a walk last weekend. Anyone else seeing the outage? | |
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