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Archive for the 'HSPA' Tag

Who will offer fastest wireless Internet?

March 23rd, 2010, 4:32 pm by

It’s a big week for mobile Internet, as nearly every wireless company is at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas and unveiling plans for cell phone customers in the U.S. But is there anything we should really care about?

More people are moving to smartphones and rely on cellular-based wireless for Internet. The mobile Web needs to speed up, big time.

Currently 3rd-generation (3G) Internet speeds are around 1 megabit per second. The coming 4G technology promises much faster service.  Sprint and T-Mobile announced their upgrades today. Verizon’s is coming tomorrow.

If you’re trying to sort out what mobile service is in your future, here’s what it comes down to:

► T-Mobile: Announced “Rollout the Nation’s Fastest 3G Wireless Network.”
Speeds: Using a technology called HSPA+, T-Mobile  says its mobile Internet will jump to speeds of 21 megabits per second. The announcement Tuesday included a “coming soon” for Los Angeles (and Orange County) users.
Reality: 21 mbps is a theoretical speed. As with every wireless Internet, speed will vary based on “location, device, and overall traffic on the local wireless network,” which T-Mobile does note. How slow? One reviewer seemed impressed when he squeezed 3 mbps out of T-Mobile’s service. Users also must upgrade to a HSPA device (here’s a list) and, ultimately, this is 3G and not 4G technology. However, it’s one of the fastest wireless technologies available today and should be everywhere by end of year.

► Sprint: Expanded its limited 4G wireless Internet to more areas, including North Orange County later this year.
Speeds: Using 4G Wimax technology, Sprint says its mobile Internet is 3 to 6 mbps, which is “up to 10 times faster” than today’s existing 3G speeds of around 600 kilobits per second, says Sprint.
Reality: The same reviewer who tested T-Mobile’s HSPA+ discovered Sprint’s 4G speed was slower, at 2.25 mbps. Other 4G user forums mention how it’s slower than 3G. But there are no caps on usage, and it’s the only 4G service publicly available.

► Verizon: Still waiting to hear Verizon’s update, which is coming Wednesday.
Speeds: Its mobile Internet service using Long Term Evolution technology (LTE) is on track for this year. Peak download of 40 to 50 mbps; upload speed of 20 to 25 mbps.
Reality: Since speed is reliant on environment and other users, Verizon says the average download speed is more like 5 to 12 mbps, while upload speed is 2 to 5 mbps.

► AT&T: Appears to be concentrating on other news this week and announced connected digital photo frames and GPS-enabled dog collars. The company, which is sticking with HSPA for now until it moves to LTE, did express disbelief as to whether LTE is ready for prime time.

More CTIA news:

  • Verizon Wireless smartphone customers can add Skype beginning Thursday. Calls to other Skype users won’t affect available minutes. Read details
  • First Android phone with 4G and 3G service coming from Sprint this summer. The HTC Evo even has its own site: www.sprint.com/evo.  Read details
  • T-Mobile announces first netbook. Read details

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • • • • | 5 Comments »

T-Mobile preps for 21 Mbps Internet with new gadget

March 11th, 2010, 5:17 pm by

Faster wireless Internet — up to 21 Mbps — from T-Mobile is around the corner and expected to be available nationwide by the end of the year. It could launch even sooner here in Orange County. We’ll find out in two weeks when T-Mobile offers an update during the upcoming CTIA mobile show.

To get ready for the speed jump, T-Mobile announced today that it now offers an HSPA+ USB Laptop stick, the webConnect Rocket. The company says that it’s also the nation’s first HSPA+ device, but that’s because the only other company going this speedy route is AT&T. Verizon Wireless and Sprint are working on faster 4G wireless technology like LTE (Long Term Evolution) and Wimax.

HSPA, short for High Speed Packet Access, is sometimes called Turbo 3G and offers wireless Internet speeds of up to 7.2 mbps. But add a plus sign and the speed jumps to 21 Mbps. T-Mobile is upgrading its 3G cell towers nationwide to add the faster technology.

I’m sure T-Mobile smartphone users everywhere are ready for the speed jump because the existing 3G Internet is more like 1 Mbps or slower. But if you feel 3G Internet is still slow, here’s some bad news: T-Mobile has already enabled HSPA 7.2 across its entire 3G network nationwide. The company, however, says it is still working to put the “necessary backhaul in place to support these faster speeds.” (AT&T, by the way, has also upgraded all of its network to HSPA and is working on upgrading to 4G technology.)

Nevertheless, many of T-Mobile’s newer smartphone users will reap the benefits of HSPA+ when it does become available because the phones and devices are backward compatible.  Here are T-Mobile’s existing 3G phones and devices that are HSPA capable:

  1. T-Mobile G1
  2. T-Mobile myTouch 3G
  3. T-Mobile myTouch 3G LE
  4. Motorola CLIQ
  5. HTC TouchPro 2
  6. T-Mobile Dash 3G
  7. Samsung Behold II
  8. T-Mobile webConnect USB Laptop Stick
  9. T-Mobile webConnect Jet
  10. HTC HD2

The Rocket goes on sale Sunday, March 14, for $99.99 with a 2-year contract. New Internet plans will be available beginning this weekend. Here are the new “Even More” plans and prices: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • Gadgets • • • • | 6 Comments »

AT&T adds socially connected Android ‘Backflip’ phone

February 18th, 2010, 10:52 am by

AT&T said today that its first Google’s Android phone, the Motorola BACKFLIP, joins the company on March 7.

The Motorola Backflip will be one of AT&T’s few HSPA 7.2 capable phones so it can take advantage of the faster Internet speeds of up to 7.2 mbps.

AT&T has been upgrading most of its cell sites in Orange County to add this faster technology. This will be AT&T’s 6th HSPA phone. Others include the iPhone 3GS, HTC PURE, HTC Tilt2, Samsung Jack and the LG eXpo.

It’s called the Backflip because underneath the 3.1-inch screen is a full QWERTY keyboard that flips out so the phone looks like a mini laptop. The keyboard can also flip around to prop up the phone like an alarm clock.

Also, directly behind the screen is a touchpad, dubbed the “‘Backtrack,” (image on left) that lets you move around the screen with your finger touching behind it without smudging the actual screen.

Hard to imagine? Watch the AT&T’s demonstration video of the Backflip below: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • Gadgets • • • • • • • | 8 Comments »

T-Mobile’s faster Internet coming to California, says report

February 10th, 2010, 3:50 pm by

T-Mobile logoNoted: T-Mobile is giving existing customers another reason to stay on with the company: 21 mbps download speeds, according to GigaOm’s Stacey Higginbotham.

While Higginbotham’s interview with T-Mobile’s vice president of engineering Dave Mayo didn’t confirm that California would be first to get the faster High Speed Packet Access technology, or HSPA+, Mayo said that T-Mobile is upgrading its HSPA software  ”major cities” along the California Coast, says the report.

Higginbotham theorizes that this could come as soon as the middle end of 2010 since T-Mobile is waiting for more devices that can handle the speeds. Currently, it has 10.

This isn’t quite 4G mobile wireless. It’s more of an advanced 3G network. AT&T has been upgrading its 3G network to HSPA software, which offers up to 7.2 Mbps. T-Mobile, meanwhile, has also been testing HSPA+ in Philadelphia.

More on faster mobile networks:

Posted in: Cell phones • Internet • • • • | 2 Comments »

AT&T on a roll, improves cell reception in 5 more cities

January 21st, 2010, 3:24 pm by

AT&T WirelessAnother slew of cell sites are up and running in Orange County that improve iPhone and 3G cell reception for AT&T customers. The new sites, which come one week after 6 others in O.C. were turned on, mean better wireless coverage in those areas. So speak up with a comment below if you notice a difference.

The new sites are near these intersections:

  • Dana Point: Near the intersection of Camino Del Avion and Golden Lantern St.
  • Santa Ana: Near the intersection of S. Grand Ave. and McFadden Ave.
  • Orange: Near the 55 Freeway and E. Katella Ave.
  • Huntington Beach: Near the intersection of Bolsa Chica Street and Heil Ave.
  • Anaheim: Near the intersection of Van Buren St. and La Palma Ave.
They are among 20 new sites announced today. Other cities getting better reception include Los Angeles, Glendale, Woodland Hills, Encino, Covina, Rialto, Cherry Valley, Beaumont, Montclair, Paso Robles, Ontario, and Rancho Cucamonga

All of AT&T’s 3G cell sites have been upgraded to HSPA 7.2 software, which means faster mobile Internet if you have an HSPA device. Think 7.2 mbps!

This isn’t the next generation 4G service being tested by Verizon and Sprint in other parts of the country. This is High Speed Packet Access 7.2, sometimes called Turbo 3G. AT&T’s plans to begin testing 4G (using Long Term Evolution technology, or LTE) next year and will offer 4G service in 2011.

HSPA requires a software upgrade. This is supported by souped-up cell sites, which are being linked by fiber-optic cables for to improve speeds. But each site must be activated so it’s an ongoing project. Orange County and Los Angeles was picked as one of six markets that will get the faster Internet speeds first. AT&T won’t what chunk of our area can already use the faster speeds but the company confirmed that activation has begun  in Orange County. AT&T expects the majority of mobile traffic will utilize the new technology by the end of the year.

Earlier on AT&T and HSPA:

Recent mobile news:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • • | 41 Comments »

O.C., L.A. among first to get AT&T’s faster mobile broadband

September 9th, 2009, 3:07 pm by

AT&T WirelessFinally! AT&T confirms that Orange County (and Los Angeles) will be one of six regions nationwide to get faster mobile Internet before the end of the year.

The other five regions are Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Miami. (See earlier mention from May, ”7.2 Mbps Internet speeds coming to AT&T mobile this year.“)

The company doesn’t link the upgrade to negative reports from iPhone users. But AT&T mentions in a press release that its wireless traffic has quadrupled in the past year, and the upgrade is just “part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to drive innovation and investment to lead the industry in delivering the benefits of smartphones and mobile broadband for customers.”

iPhone and other AT&T smartphone users can look forward to faster Internet, with speeds up to 7.2 megabits per second. That’s faster than some home broadband service.

But this isn’t the next generation 4G service being tested by Verizon and Sprint in other parts of the country. This is High Speed Packet Access 7.2, sometimes called Turbo 3G. AT&T’s plans to begin testing 4G (using Long Term Evolution technology, or LTE) next year and will offer 4G service in 2011.

HSPA requires a software upgrade. This is supported by souped-up cell sites, which are being linked by fiber-optic cables for to improve speeds.  HSPA is expected to be the fastest mobile broadband offered by any wireless company this year, said AT&T.

Theoretical speeds hit 7.2 mbps but that is with ideal conditions and usually in a lab. In reality, expect something slower. Just like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other wireless technologies, HSPA speeds are affected by location, the device and overall traffic on the wireless network.

AT&T plans to roll out the faster HSPA service to the rest of the nation by the end of 2010. By the end of 2011, 90 percent of its existing 3G network will get the HSPA boost.  As part of the launch, AT&T will offer six compatible smartphones plus two new LaptopConnect cards.

Recent 3G and 4G news:


Posted in: Cell phones • iPhone • • • • • • • | 11 Comments »

7.2 Mbps Internet speeds coming to AT&T mobile this year

May 27th, 2009, 4:04 pm by

AT&T WirelessThe next-generation of AT&T’s mobile broadband won’t be out until 2011 or 2012.

Until then, the company said today it is upgrading its existing network to HSPA 7.2 technology, which will offer speeds of up to 7.2 megabits per second.

In reality, of course, the speeds will be slower but that should still beat today’s existing 3G service, which hovers between 700 to 1,700 kilobits per second.

AT&T is calling the upgrade a “speed boost.”

To access the new speeds, users must have HSPA-compatible smartphones or laptop cards (sorry iPhone 3G friends).

As part of the estimated $17 billion upgrade this year, the company is also doubling the amount of wireless spectrum dedicated to 3G service and improving indoor service. This upgrade was recently completed in Orange County (see “Better iPhone service in O.C., L.A.? AT&T completes upgrade.”) And because of the upgrade, the company is building 2,100 new cell sites across the country.

The new technology will start rolling out this year. No details on when the Orange County market will get access to the speedier service. The rollout should be completed by 2011, just in time for AT&T’s even faster 4G service to start rolling out.

AT&T, by the way, has committed to Long Term Evolution, or LTE, technology, which has tested at 50 to 60 megabits per second. Verizon Wireless is also backing the LTE technology, while Sprint is already rolling out its 4G service, based on WiMax technology. AT&T plans to begin testing LTE in certain markets in 2010. 

One big reason for the 3G upgrade? In the same manner that it took 3G service several years to roll out, the 4G service will be the same. Those not in 4G parts of the country will still have the faster 3G service to rely on.

More bits from the web:

More on 4G mobile service: 


Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • | 3 Comments »

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