[Q] WiMAX vs. Hspa+ - Atrix 4G General

I know that Hspa+ is just a "faux"-g network, it's not even close to the ITU specifications, but I thought hspa+ would be able to go neck, and neck with WiMAX. I was wrong.
Perhaps I am being stupid, and back-haul hasn't actually increased yet, but I was just disappointed when I did a speedtest.
While WiMAX constantly gave me 6mbps/1mbps, and even peaked at 7mbps/1mbps, hspa+ only gave me 4.5mbps to 5.5mbps down, and the upload was horrendous, it was like 256k!
Fortunately the ping on the evo and atrix were both good. To a local server they got around 150- 200 ms.
But really, I expected higher than 5.5/.256 from Hspa+. It's not even close to WiMAX, which was the first 4g technology.
Is anyone else experiencing these terrible "4"g speeds?

in los angeles, the highest i've ever seen is 3.2 Mbps. consider yourself lucky.

have they rolled out backhaul to you yet?

i'm guessing not, although their coverage map says otherwise. it doesn't matter where in LA.... LAX, downtown, west LA, hollywood, east LA. max i've seen is 3.2 with average 1-1.5 Mbps.

dLo GSR said:
i'm guessing not, although their coverage map says otherwise. it doesn't matter where in LA.... LAX, downtown, west LA, hollywood, east LA. max i've seen is 3.2 with average 1-1.5 Mbps.
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idk about la but i have seen a max of 5.7 mbps down here in downtown phx on my atrix
and i attached proof

brian2220 said:
idk about la but i have seen a max of 5.7 mbps down here in downtown phx on my atrix
and i attached proof
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That's INSANE!!!!
My best:
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/2605/20090206010.jpg
Note how my wifi scores lower than 4g.

im getting 3.5 down on a captivate that doesnt even support hspa+, the speeds will pick up, the HSPA+ tech is able to get to 14.4 eventually, so be patient, eventually ATT will have up to 21.6 on 3G, but no device supports better than 14.4 currently
The HSUPA+ (upload) threshold is supposed to be 5.76, so you figure that will be even higher also.
The speed is coming, the devices are just ahead of the network right now, and before you blame ATT, look around, when it comes to speed nobody else even compares, WiMax is a dead tech, LTE is the way of the future. Its like having a HD DVD player, it didn't win as the main standard.

rodimus_prime said:
im getting 3.5 down on a captivate that doesnt even support hspa+, the speeds will pick up, the HSPA+ tech is able to get to 14.4 eventually, so be patient, eventually ATT will have up to 21.6 on 3G, but no device supports better than 14.4 currently
The HSUPA+ (upload) threshold is supposed to be 5.76, so you figure that will be even higher also.
The speed is coming, the devices are just ahead of the network right now, and before you blame ATT, look around, when it comes to speed nobody else even compares, WiMax is a dead tech, LTE is the way of the future. Its like having a HD DVD player, it didn't win as the main standard.
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the captivate is capable of 7.2 hspa+ and if im not mistake a software upgrade would bring it to 14 if not the 21 eventually course youll never see that update

AT&T haven't switched it on yet. Chill out and wait.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

I just switched from Sprint to AT&T and I for one will tell you that data service with AT&T has consistently been better in my case.
I am not in a WiMax area (neither are the majority of Sprint customers) and I can say that AT&T's 3g absolutely destroys Sprints 3g service. I used to average around 750 down and 400 or so up with Sprint at home and work. Now I average over 2500 down and 300 or so up. I actually still have my Sprint activated and can say that I have noted this trend over the course of a month. Now that I am confident that AT&T service is going to work out for me, I am terminating my Sprint account.
Yes, my upload took a minor hit, but for daily phone use, my download has more than made up for that. I can only hope that when AT&T actually activates their true HSPA+ backhaul, I see the same improvement.

rodimus_prime said:
im getting 3.5 down on a captivate that doesnt even support hspa+, the speeds will pick up, the HSPA+ tech is able to get to 14.4 eventually, so be patient, eventually ATT will have up to 21.6 on 3G, but no device supports better than 14.4 currently
The HSUPA+ (upload) threshold is supposed to be 5.76, so you figure that will be even higher also.
The speed is coming, the devices are just ahead of the network right now, and before you blame ATT, look around, when it comes to speed nobody else even compares, WiMax is a dead tech, LTE is the way of the future. Its like having a HD DVD player, it didn't win as the main standard.
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Actually, I don't think AT&T has ever said what their HSPA+ speeds are SUPPOSED to be. T-Mobile has said theirs is 21 Mbps, I'd assume AT&T is probably the same, but like you said, they don't have any phones that do more than 14 Mbps right now. The SGS2 will have HSDPA 21 Mbps support. But of course, regardless of what they are CAPABLE of, when was the last time you saw a cell company in the US offer as much speed as their spec allowed?
shoefly said:
the captivate is capable of 7.2 hspa+ and if im not mistake a software upgrade would bring it to 14 if not the 21 eventually course youll never see that update
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The Captivate doesn't have HSPA+, it has HSPA, and you're correct that it's 7.2 Mbps. Actually, HSPA allows downlink speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps, but I'm pretty sure AT&T had only deployed 7.2 for their HSPA, and the Captivate only supports 7.2. Not sure if that's even software upgradeable or if it's limited by the radio hardware.
Actually, I'm curious if the HSPA+ upgrade automatically upgrades the speed of HSPA to 14.4 as well. Even if it does they'll probably lock the speeds lower so they can make sure only their HSPA+ phones get faster service. It's not like they are going to give us 14.4 Mbps on HSPA+ anyway. (At least I doubt they will)

OK, I found ATT's Statement on expected speeds:
"Question:
Just how fast is AT&T 4G?
Answer:
With enhanced backhaul AT&T is seeing network speeds up to approximately 6 Mbps. Actual speeds experienced will vary and depend on several factors, including location, device, environment, and capacity. LTE is expected to deliver even faster speeds.
Note: 4G speeds require a 4G device and are delivered when HSPA+ technology is combined with enhanced backhaul. 4G speeds are available in select cities with availability increasing with ongoing backhaul deployment. For information on currently available 4G markets, see 4G Speed from AT&T and select the Coverage map."
Source: http://www.wireless.att.com/answer-...locale=&_dyncharset=UTF-8&solutionId=KB115947

6Mbps is pathetic for pseudo 4G. I've seen regular 3G (HSPA) devices do just as good.
If that's the best their "enhanced backhaul" can provide on HSPA+, their LTE service will be a joke too.

my friend gets 9 Mbps download and .6 Mbps upload on his G2 here in Minneapolis. i get 5 Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps Upload on my iPhone 4.

you know if HSUPA is finely tuned, it can reach speeds VERY close to LTE. I don't understand what the complaining is all about. For them to fully roll out the "4G" network; it will take them the entire year, also with the acquisition of T-Mobile, we will definitely see improvements later on. Just give it some time, we'll see significant speed improvements my guess by Q3.

done12many2 said:
I just switched from Sprint to AT&T and I for one will tell you that data service with AT&T has consistently been better in my case.
I am not in a WiMax area (neither are the majority of Sprint customers) and I can say that AT&T's 3g absolutely destroys Sprints 3g service. I used to average around 750 down and 400 or so up with Sprint at home and work. Now I average over 2500 down and 300 or so up. I actually still have my Sprint activated and can say that I have noted this trend over the course of a month. Now that I am confident that AT&T service is going to work out for me, I am terminating my Sprint account.
Yes, my upload took a minor hit, but for daily phone use, my download has more than made up for that. I can only hope that when AT&T actually activates their true HSPA+ backhaul, I see the same improvement.
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I have a buddy with an EVO 50 miles from Philly and does not have 4G. He has paid that additional $10 to get it and can't. His download speeds are horrendous on 3g(600mbps).

In Miami I'm getting 7-9 down and 1-2 up

My highest was 7167 upload so far here in so cal

Related

tmobile 3g speeds

this is my first week using tmobile in the US with the nexus one.
I am not able to get download speeds more than 800kbps. it does not matter how good the reception is.
I have tried in various places in north CA and in cleveland OH.
I think that such speeds are pretty bad for 3g. with at&t I used to 2-3mbps at times.
my friend with the verizon droid is seeing 1.5mbps-2.5mbps download speed .
what are other users on tmobile are seeing?
seems like tmobile is rate limiting the speeds or their network is just really bad.
How are u measuring the speed? I use the speed test app and it used to have a server close by in San Jose (65 mi) now I have to use a server in new Mexico and I'm in CA so that makes it seem slower too
There are two apps in the market i test with: speedtest.net and extreme speed test.
I also checked with the laptop tethered to the phone. same pathetic speeds. i can hardly call it 3g comparing to the competitors.
Is it the phone or is it tmobiles network?
clubtech said:
There are two apps in the market i test with: speedtest.net and extreme speed test.
I also checked with the laptop tethered to the phone. same pathetic speeds. i can hardly call it 3g comparing to the competitors.
Is it the phone or is it tmobiles network?
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i just got 2MB/s up and 400 kb/s down
WOW thats whats im talking about best ive ever seen
still waiting for those 6mb/s up and 1mb/s down (a.k.a. my cable high speed enternet at home)
I have never seen verizon that fast in my area, generally 500 kbits to 1mbits but I would say that you are getting the norm for tmo as mine have never reached 1 mbit but can go past 10 mbit on wifi.
BGR did a test a while back although not scientific agrees with the tests I have done in my area.
BGR Carrier Wars
Average Download Speed
1. Sprint: 1361kbs
2. AT&T: 933kbps
3. T-Mobile: 786kbps
4. Verizon: 701kbps
Average Upload Speed
1. Verizon: 322kbps
2. Sprint: 267kbps
3. AT&T: 180kbps
4. T-Mobile: 177kbps
Try this speed test....
I usually see 1000 - 1200 kbps but quite often see 1700 - 2000 kbps using the speedtest.net app in the android market. Something to remember, your 3G connection is initially UMTS and will switch to HSDPA on demand and when available. You may notice that your first test will show a ping of ~300ms and speeds of 500 - 700 kbps (UMTS), but if you hit "test again" immediately after the first test completes you should see a ping of about ~175ms and approximately double the speed (HSDPA). I've noticed that the default server (closest server according to the speedtest.net app) is usually slow and doesn't give me proper results. I've had very good luck using the Chicago server. Try using the Chicago server and run back-to-back tests, let us know if your results change.
I would agree T-Mobile's 3G is crap. Using a Rogers G1 on AT&T using speedtest.net app, I was seeing over 2Mbit down and over 800kbit up consistently.
T-Mobile's so called "7.2 Mbit upgrade" is a joke. Kind of like their coverage maps. I want to like them, but at least in my area, AT&T obliterates them. It's too big of a different for me. If an AT&T 3G compatible nexus one is released, I will have to get one. I could probably live with the slower speeds if the coverage wasn't so spotty.
Your move T-Immobile.
-James
jmacdonald801 said:
I would agree T-Mobile's 3G is crap. Using a Rogers G1 on AT&T using speedtest.net app, I was seeing over 2Mbit down and over 800kbit up consistently.
T-Mobile's so called "7.2 Mbit upgrade" is a joke. Kind of like their coverage maps. I want to like them, but at least in my area, AT&T obliterates them. It's too big of a different for me. If an AT&T 3G compatible nexus one is released, I will have to get one. I could probably live with the slower speeds if the coverage wasn't so spotty.
Your move T-Immobile.
-James
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As a former T-Mo Wireless Engineer Intern, I can tell you that there is only a very very small roll out on 7.2 right now. They are testing the network before they enable more circuits. The original plan when I worked there was for a gradual 2 city per month rollout. Then slowly build the network to cope with added traffic. Its suppose to be a gradual process that will also involve using old equipment and expanding current 3g service. The high speed roll out was priority one, then is service expansion. Also contracts were involved last I saw that would expand coverage 2-fold, but negotiations for tower rights were falling through, so I don't know where thats going.
hamshu said:
As a former T-Mo Wireless Engineer Intern, I can tell you that there is only a very very small roll out on 7.2 right now. They are testing the network before they enable more circuits. The original plan when I worked there was for a gradual 2 city per month rollout. Then slowly build the network to cope with added traffic. Its suppose to be a gradual process that will also involve using old equipment and expanding current 3g service. The high speed roll out was priority one, then is service expansion. Also contracts were involved last I saw that would expand coverage 2-fold, but negotiations for tower rights were falling through, so I don't know where thats going.
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Wow, talk about an honest answer. If I could just get coverage at my house, I could support team Magenta
-James
There is an issue with 3g on the nexus that has been commented on a number of times, and that is the flapping of UMTS and HSDPA. (not to be confused with those flapping between 2g and 3g). With my G1 I was able to get speeds as high as 3Mbit, but I too have only seen 800Kbit max on my nexus and I believe its due to this constant flapping of 3g technologies.
Today is my first day on tmobile with the N1, I've been running on Edge ATT.
I was worried about switching over because my gf has had tmobile and doesn't have great service at our house.
I was afraid mine would be worse with the 3g issues the N1 has been having but it appears to be almost identical to hers.
in my living room we get 1-2 bars 3g and I see test speeds of 50-300 down and 950-1250 up.
I go to my office right above the living room and get 3 bars and 700-900 down speeds with 700-900 up speeds.
No stoked about it but I havnt had any signal swapping issues so I'm going to use it for GPS to test out now and see how it does. GPS and mapping even on edge with ATT was super fast so I have high hopes.
bofslime said:
There is an issue with 3g on the nexus that has been commented on a number of times, and that is the flapping of UMTS and HSDPA. (not to be confused with those flapping between 2g and 3g). With my G1 I was able to get speeds as high as 3Mbit, but I too have only seen 800Kbit max on my nexus and I believe its due to this constant flapping of 3g technologies.
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So are you saying that if you pop in the SIM card from the N1 to the G1 in the same place you get 3Mbps vs. 800Kbps on the N1?
clubtech said:
So are you saying that if you pop in the SIM card from the N1 to the G1 in the same place you get 3Mbps vs. 800Kbps on the N1?
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Correct, I get full signal at my work (-63dBm 25asu). The G1 didn't skip around and stuck firmly to UMTS, and I was getting much better rates with it. My N1 however maxes out at no more than 800.
@jmcdonald what are you agreeing with LOL were talking about decent speeds then you say you agree with the low speeds??? LOL
Anyway I don't have 3g flopping problems neither did I on my g1
I am seeing speeds in most cases upward of 2.2 mbps... and am even averaging over 1mbps in upload speeds which is pretty good when I have full 3g reception in the Northern NJ area.
I get anywhere from 2.0 - 3.5Mbps down on average, and I have seen up to 4.5Mbps down on occasion. Up is always around 1 - 1.3Mbps.
However, I'm in Philadelphia, and we have HSPA+
Wow, I don't know how you guys are getting DL speeds upwards of 1.5mbps! Here in San Diego, the most I've seen anyone on ATT get is around 1.2mbps, and 1.1 on Sprint. Tmo is usually anywhere from 700-1mbps with some spikes over that now and then.
My G1 and N1 get the same speed range.
I'm in Maryland, just outside of D.C. I also just switched from AT&T to T-Mobile (yesterday actually). I'm also getting DL speeds of like 700-800 kbps. Hope it will someday be a little faster than that.
download - 137kbps
upload - 217kbps
From all the repots in this post it seems that tmob is just slower in some parts of the country and faster in others.
I hope they are planning on catching as 700-800kbps is a joke.

Is it possible for vibrant to run on T-Mobile 4G?

After reading of a new Mytouch HD product that is coming for T-Mobile Im pretty impressed with specs but very turned off by the looks.
So that makes me wonder does vibrant have the technology to run on T-mobile's 4G network with simple software updates?
Reason I am asking this is because I know The iphone 4G will be able to run on 4G network as soon as AT&T launch their 4G service.
Thanks for any knowledge in advance
.... Google is your best friend, its not 4g it's hspa+ on order to take advantage of that speed you ned the physical hardware in the phone which only the g2 had right now, in regards to the iphone 4, I've never heard anything about att launching any 4g network, I also work for att, the iphone doesn't have any hardware that support any faster speeds as far as I know
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
iPhone can handle ATT's new "Faster 3G", but they don't have 4G. My understanding is the Vibrant can do HSPa, but not HSPa+? I don't know the difference but that's what i understand. 2G, 3G and HSPa.
4G is just a marketing terms for the masses. After you look at this link...
http://shop.sprint.com/en/stores/popups/4G_coverage_popup.shtml
You should realize that the Vibrant is already capable of reaching the "average" speeds listed here (in areas with proper coverage). Wait...how is that possible?! It's not a 4G phone. Who cares!!! T-Mobile's network and phones already meet or exceed the speeds Sprint is advertising here. T-Mobile is way ahead of the curve here but they're not marketing the hell out of it. FYI, the average website (ATM) may have trouble maintaining a consistent throughput of 5-6 Mbps anyway. Even if you can go faster, does it really matter when the other side can't (yet)?
AlexSochi8 said:
After reading of a new Mytouch HD product that is coming for T-Mobile Im pretty impressed with specs but very turned off by the looks.
So that makes me wonder does vibrant have the technology to run on T-mobile's 4G network with simple software updates?
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T-Mobile does not have a 4G network, and they probably won't roll out 4G for at least 5 years
Reason I am asking this is because I know The iphone 4G will be able to run on 4G network as soon as AT&T launch their 4G service.
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Apple hasn't announced a 4G Iphone, so (by definition) you really don't know what you're talking about.
AT&T is set to roll out LTE, but it will almost certainly be data-only devices as they work the kinks out. (As Verizon has done)
Thanks for any knowledge in advance
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You should ask yourself why you care about 4G. I doubt you'll notice much of a decrease in load times, and the carriers are probably going to charge out the yin-yang for the enhanced features they will be able to offer to everyone with 4G.
AT&T and Verizon are going to limited data (AT&T already has). You should really look past all the marketing and hype. All the carriers are guilty of confusing the public to serve their interests.
All T-Mobile phones will benefit from HSPA+ as it's backward compatible. However, the theoretical maximum throughput on the Vibrant (or any legacy phone) that doesn't have the HSPA+ antenna built in caps out around 7Mbs as I recall. The G2 which is built to run HSPA+ has a theoretical througput around 15-20 I believe.
Seriously though, even 7Mbs is pretty stupid fast for a cell phone.
Xard said:
All T-Mobile phones will benefit from HSPA+ as it's backward compatible. However, the theoretical maximum throughput on the Vibrant (or any legacy phone) that doesn't have the HSPA+ antenna built in caps out around 7Mbs as I recall. The G2 which is built to run HSPA+ has a theoretical througput around 15-20 I believe.
Seriously though, even 7Mbs is pretty stupid fast for a cell phone.
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Clear explanation
But one thing, i am in Boston and my vibrant never reach over 50KB/s...wtf
It supposed to have the + network already...
I get 6mbps on my vibrant on hspa. Home wifi I get only 2.8, I see no difference in browser page loading time..
Downloading w will be faster but whatever.. 6 is all I need. I've only seen some people getting 8 on their g2s, meh, I'm happy with 6..... Hell I'm happy with 3mbps....
Emama said:
Clear explanation
But one thing, i am in Boston and my vibrant never reach over 50KB/s...wtf
It supposed to have the + network already...
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Check the data icon top center - should be two arrows (up/down) and 'G','E', or '3G' to indicate tech. GPRS would be my guess for 50k... EDGE should reach around 200kbps. (I've maxed at about 1.8 mbps 3g in Charlotte, about 210k edge nearer home, and about 12mpbs wifi - same locations as that last my netbook gets 40-70mpbs though.
Check 'settings'->'wireless and network'->'mobile networks' and make sure '2g only' is unchecked. If so I'd suspect a hardware problem. (double-check that 3g is available where you're testing, of course)
j
newkirk said:
Check the data icon top center - should be two arrows (up/down) and 'G','E', or '3G' to indicate tech. GPRS would be my guess for 50k... EDGE should reach around 200kbps. (I've maxed at about 1.8 mbps 3g in Charlotte, about 210k edge nearer home, and about 12mpbs wifi - same locations as that last my netbook gets 40-70mpbs though.
Check 'settings'->'wireless and network'->'mobile networks' and make sure '2g only' is unchecked. If so I'd suspect a hardware problem. (double-check that 3g is available where you're testing, of course)
j
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This is 3g network already,
My phone and my gf's one has the same result
I can have up to 2000kB/s with my home Wi-Fi....but tmo network sucks..
I never see a "G" in that blue icon
And the above result is based on the 3G icon...if it is E, it has only 4-5 kB/s! !!
Any other guy in Boston can tell me if it is T-Mobile network sucks or my phone
I live in Cambridge and just did the speed-test, 3g w/2 bars in my apartment. 129kbps download 614 upload. It really varies quite a bit probably depending upon network traffic.
Xard said:
All T-Mobile phones will benefit from HSPA+ as it's backward compatible. However, the theoretical maximum throughput on the Vibrant (or any legacy phone) that doesn't have the HSPA+ antenna built in caps out around 7Mbs as I recall. The G2 which is built to run HSPA+ has a theoretical througput around 15-20 I believe.
Seriously though, even 7Mbs is pretty stupid fast for a cell phone.
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Click to collapse
Does the 7mb cap only apply to hspa, or hspa+. Because on my wireless g network I get blazing speeds.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
ackattacker said:
I live in Cambridge and just did the speed-test, 3g w/2 bars in my apartment. 129kbps download 614 upload. It really varies quite a bit probably depending upon network traffic.
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I am talking about KB not kbps,
129 kbps is really slow!
I try to compare my friend incredible verizon network at Cambridge
He has 280KB while i have only 45KB download....damn
I get 5mbs in my hspa area on the vibrant.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Should I call T-Mobile to ask about it as it is ridiculous to have only 50-70kB (Less than 0.6 Mbits) in HSPA+ area
jayprime said:
Does the 7mb cap only apply to hspa, or hspa+. Because on my wireless g network I get blazing speeds.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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theoretical caps. HSDPA 7.2Mbps, T-mobile's variety of HSPA+ 21Mbps according to a T-mobile press release, Wi-fi G 54Mbps.
real word numbers HSDPA 1-5Mbps in good coverage depending on network traffic, HDPA+ on a vibrant 3-7 Mbps again depending on network traffic, Wi-fi... depends on your home internet connection speed.
Some people seem to misunderstand whether or not a non HSPA+ phone (such as ours) can benefit from HSPA+. It indeed can, but not in a straightforward way. In order for T-Mobile to support HSPA+ in a given market they must make reasonable upgrades to their networks backhaul capacity to support it. And these backhaul upgrades will become more important as T-Mobile actually begins selling HSPA+ devices.
One of the most important factors often overlooked with any network is it's backhaul capacity. Bottlenecks in familiar networks can easily make themselves apparent. Take for example the traditional DSL and Cable networks most of us use for wired internet service.
While you may pay for a given advertised speed, whether or not you actually see those speeds has less to do with the connection type and more oftentimes to do with how it has been implemented. In the case of DSL for instance, whether or not you can experience your advertised speed reliably depends on how many other customers are routed through the same DSLAM, *AND* how good the backhaul connection from the DSLAM is to your providers internal network. The same thing occurs with Cable and how many customers are aggregated into a given areas HFC. Bottlenecks within cable and dsl infrastructures occur at different points (because they're architecturally different), but once your outside those infrastructures they both share the potential for having backhaul bottlenecks.
In my area cable is way the fastest connection option, and though I do not pay for the highest speed tier here (15/2, instead of the 10/1 I have), when 10/1 was the fastest tier I'd rarely actually see those speeds. Now I see those speeds reliably. Why? Well there are many factors that effect a network topology, but it's clear that in order to reasonably support 15/2, my cable provider had to make sure it's backhaul could actually handle the load, so it was likely updated to accommodate this.
Hope this clarifies things a bit.

T-mobile updating 16 devices to faster speed!?

OK so I just payed my bill at my local T-mobile store, and I saw a poster saying 16 tmobile devices will have 4g capability or something in those words... So I asked the tmobile employee what the poster is all about. He said there are 16 devices that tmobile will be updating so they can have faster 3g or 4g speed.... He said for vibrant the 3g should get faster but its not going to be 4g sicnce it doesnt have the capability to be 4g...... plus Vibrant was one of those phones on the poster as well as other smart phones.
No Im not trying to spam or create new rumors. Im actually a newb in these threads and was curious if anyone heard of this.... Or if it has anything to do with second update that some people are receiving?
As the employee said expect ota update that would increase the speed
they're updating the network, not the actual devices. the vibrant is technically capable of 7.2Mbps downloads, but you can only find those speeds in a few places right now
lolcopter said:
they're updating the network, not the actual devices. the vibrant is technically capable of 7.2Mbps downloads, but you can only find those speeds in a few places right now
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well im pretty confused by all this myself but.. Since they have the tmobile official posters in their tmobile stores it means it has to be pretty soon.. w.e it is...
I just went and tested my speed with speedtest.net app and it shows 2284kbps download and 1337 upload.... is it suppose to be even faster soon?
I may be wrong but I believe you guys are misunderstanding the posters.
I think this is what T-Mobile is trying to say.
All current 3G phones will get a speed boost once your area has been fully upgraded to HSPA+ Although most phones that T-Mobile currently carries are not HSPA+ except for the G2 and MyTouch 4G, these non-HSPA+ phones will still benefit from HSPA+ network upgrades.
Make sense?
Also T-Mobiles 4G network is NOT 4G, False advertising. Same with Sprint Wimax.
SamsungVibrant said:
Also T-Mobiles 4G network is NOT 4G, False advertising. Same with Sprint Wimax.
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According to ITU, none of the American carriers have 4G. Go search engadget for ITU for the source (would post the link, but I don't have enough posts yet).
HSPA+ is capable of the same download speeds as the "true 4G" networks, of which there are NONE in the US. It's not false advertising, it's perfectly honest advertising.
Either way...no one is promising 4g speed to vibrant... Just faster 3g... Did anyone great of this? Coz I dont want to start a thread where people are arguimg what 4g is and what its not... And I live in NYC... So I believe 4g towers are set up here already.. Tmobile rep confused the crap out of me... As they usually do... Can't even understand their own advertisement
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
thats interesting because at my work for the last year I could only get about 900kbps down and 300 up. For some reason for the last 3 weeks I could not keep a solid connection even though the 3g symbol was present. I thought it was my vibrant or the rom I had flashed the night before (rom junkie) but two of my employees have Tmobile as well and they were experiencing the same thing. All of a sudden as of Saturday I am now getting speeds in the 4mb range and its freaking awesome. I have another employee with a 4g Evo and I kill him everytime. Go Tmobile! Vibrant w/4g speeds and now froyo and wifi calling= the best Android phone on the market.
Your statements contradict eachother!
Thegreatheed said:
According to ITU, none of the American carriers have 4G. Go search engadget for ITU for the source (would post the link, but I don't have enough posts yet).
HSPA+ is capable of the same download speeds as the "true 4G" networks, of which there are NONE in the US. It's not false advertising, it's perfectly honest advertising.
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Click to collapse
I never said any of the US carriers currently have 4G. In fact, I said exactly what you stated. I said neither Sprint's Wimax, nor T-Mobiles HSPA+ is 4G.
Also your statements contradict each other. You claim according to the ITU, no us carrier has 4G, yet T-Mobile advertising as the "largest 4G network" in the nation is honest advertising? HUH? LOL, do you not see the contradiction in your own statements?
How can you be the largest 4G network, if according to you, the ITU says no US carriers have 4G at the current moment. As a result, any carrier claiming they have 4G would be falsely advertising such said information.
I'm sorry but it shocks me when people overlook the obvious, how can you write a statement and contradict yourself?
btw hspa+ SPEEDS are not true 4G speeds.
short answer, they upgrade network we benefit.
Thegreatheed said:
According to ITU, none of the American carriers have 4G. Go search engadget for ITU for the source (would post the link, but I don't have enough posts yet).
HSPA+ is capable of the same download speeds as the "true 4G" networks, of which there are NONE in the US. It's not false advertising, it's perfectly honest advertising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is absolutely FALSE advertising. 4G networks are IMT ADVANCED based, which includes LTE Advanced and WiMax Advanced. This means that ABSOLUTELY zero networks in the world are, and in the next year or two, ever will be 4G. To be a 4G solution, it has to be a 100% IP (aka packet switched with absolutely NO circuit switched voice) based solution. Also, do I need to mention that the "true" 4G speeds you are talking about, are slow in comparison to what IMT Advanced based architectures will be.
AlexSochi8 said:
Either way...no one is promising 4g speed to vibrant... Just faster 3g... Did anyone great of this? Coz I dont want to start a thread where people are arguimg what 4g is and what its not... And I live in NYC... So I believe 4g towers are set up here already.. Tmobile rep confused the crap out of me... As they usually do... Can't even understand their own advertisement
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned they are not 4G. Plain and simple. T-Mobile has made it VERY clear that they are not currently seeking any LTE plans for the very near future, and as such, are rolling out HSPA+ in an effort to increase the speeds at a (relatively) low cost. Due to the fact that Sprint is using the 4G moniker, and advertising speeds similar to what T-Mobile will have on offer (using HSPA+), they are doing the same bull**** marketing that Sprint is.
If you want me to cite some info, I can.
lolcopter said:
they're updating the network, not the actual devices. the vibrant is technically capable of 7.2Mbps downloads, but you can only find those speeds in a few places right now
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Click to collapse
So as soon as they fully install the faster network in New York City then i will be able to get up to 7.2mbps on vibrant?
I kinda doubt that since now at very best I get 2.2mbps in a very tower rich city
That would make vibrant internet speed upto 3.5 times faster? Is that really likely?
If that is then Froyo + faster internet is all i can dream of!
AlexSochi8 said:
So as soon as they fully install the faster network in New York City then i will be able to get up to 7.2mbps on vibrant?
I kinda doubt that since now at very best I get 2.2mbps in a very tower rich city
That would make vibrant internet speed upto 3.5 times faster? Is that really likely?
If that is then Froyo + faster internet is all i can dream of!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are reports of getting as high as 15Mbps in areas with a good HSPA+ coverage on the G2. I presume that 7Mbps, or near there should be very achievable on our phones.
gehzumteufel said:
There are reports of getting as high as 15Mbps in areas with a good HSPA+ coverage on the G2. I presume that 7Mbps, or near there should be very achievable on our phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats pretty amazing then... then I wouldnt complain about some phones having "4G" speed
gehzumteufel said:
It is absolutely FALSE advertising. 4G networks are IMT ADVANCED based, which includes LTE Advanced and WiMax Advanced. This means that ABSOLUTELY zero networks in the world are, and in the next year or two, ever will be 4G. To be a 4G solution, it has to be a 100% IP (aka packet switched with absolutely NO circuit switched voice) based solution. Also, do I need to mention that the "true" 4G speeds you are talking about, are slow in comparison to what IMT Advanced based architectures will be.
As mentioned they are not 4G. Plain and simple. T-Mobile has made it VERY clear that they are not currently seeking any LTE plans for the very near future, and as such, are rolling out HSPA+ in an effort to increase the speeds at a (relatively) low cost. Due to the fact that Sprint is using the 4G moniker, and advertising speeds similar to what T-Mobile will have on offer (using HSPA+), they are doing the same bull**** marketing that Sprint is.
If you want me to cite some info, I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you in one respect, ITU ruled that HSPA+ is not a 4G network. However, what with Sprint and their false advertising, it's easy to see why T-Mobile would label their data network as 4G for one reason. The same towers that are being upgraded to the theoretical max of 21mbps have the capacity for even higher speeds. Up to 168mbps actually, if you want to get specific. All on the towers they already have. Pretty much explains their decision to forgo LTE for the time being huh? So while yes, their network isn't a "true" 4G network, no one can argue that they're lying about achieving 4G and higher speeds (even higher than WiMax).
well i hope the reception will be better. i'm fine with a download speed of 2-3 mbps as long as it's stable. I have to stay on one corner of our house to have a 3G.
Homestar1217 said:
I agree with you in one respect, ITU ruled that HSPA+ is not a 4G network. However, what with Sprint and their false advertising, it's easy to see why T-Mobile would label their data network as 4G for one reason. The same towers that are being upgraded to the theoretical max of 21mbps have the capacity for even higher speeds. Up to 168mbps actually, if you want to get specific. All on the towers they already have. Pretty much explains their decision to forgo LTE for the time being huh? So while yes, their network isn't a "true" 4G network, no one can argue that they're lying about achieving 4G and higher speeds (even higher than WiMax).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are absolutely lying. You can't achieve, from a device, anything above a theoretical maximum of 84Mbps with bonding AND MIMO. Otherwise, you are stick at 42Mbps with JUST boding, and 21.5 with no bonding or MIMO. 4G is officially designated at 100Mbps while moving at high speed and 1Gbps while static. You aren't going to see bonding and MIMO at all, because that requires a HUGE increase in the backhaul capabilities (100GbE minimum), and all new antennas and base stations. This is just not happening.
iynfynity said:
well i hope the reception will be better. i'm fine with a download speed of 2-3 mbps as long as it's stable. I have to stay on one corner of our house to have a 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile has been significantly improving their coverage area over the last 5 years, and it is far better than when I first had it. In due time, they will cover most of the US.
yeah, Edge is good for me but of course 3G is what i'm paying for so i hope that the reception will be better in my place.
My speed on my stock Vibrant seems to have improved just recently. Sitting inside my house in the Seattle area tonight the Speedtest.net app gave results of: 5.3-5.4 Mbps down and 1.6-1.7 Mbps up. That was the range for several successive trials. The weird thing was that when I laid the phone down on my desk, the speed dropped down to about 3.2 Mbps down and 0.70 Mbps up. When I picked it up and held it in my hand again, the speed climbed right back up to the higher range, which I verified several times. Coincidence, or could there be some body-phone-antenna thing going on?
ZX3ZX4 said:
My speed on my stock Vibrant seems to have improved just recently. Sitting inside my house in the Seattle area tonight the Speedtest.net app gave results of: 5.3-5.4 Mbps down and 1.6-1.7 Mbps up. That was the range for several successive trials. The weird thing was that when I laid the phone down on my desk, the speed dropped down to about 3.2 Mbps down and 0.70 Mbps up. When I picked it up and held it in my hand again, the speed climbed right back up to the higher range, which I verified several times. Coincidence, or could there be some body-phone-antenna thing going on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, your phone is probably cycling through two different towers. Check to see if your CID changes (Ever) in your home.
AlexSochi8 said:
So as soon as they fully install the faster network in New York City then i will be able to get up to 7.2mbps on vibrant?
I kinda doubt that since now at very best I get 2.2mbps in a very tower rich city
That would make vibrant internet speed upto 3.5 times faster? Is that really likely?
If that is then Froyo + faster internet is all i can dream of!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By my old place in Brooklyn I was getting up to 5Mbs down back in July, but my apartment was like a Faraday Cage, by my folks in Brooklyn I am constantly getting up to 5.5Mbs, and at my new place in South Brooklyn I am back to harsh reality with 1.1Mbs at best.
These are the download speeds, upload is usually stays the same at around 1.3Mbs

[Q] Why 4G is the same speed as 3G, is it expected?

I understand that ATT 4G is really 3G+ but still I'm getting exactly the same perfomance from my Atrix as from my Captivate in the same location. Roughly 1 MB up and 3 MB down. Sometimes I get up to 5 MB down on Atrix but upload is always capped at 1 MB. Is it expected?
Then you're probably not in an HSPA+ coverage area. I don't get HSPA+ speeds at my home, but if I go into Atlanta, I'll probably get HSPA+ speeds.
Check coverage on this page: http://www.att.com/network/?
MdX MaxX said:
Then you're probably not in an HSPA+ coverage area. I don't get HSPA+ speeds at my home, but if I go into Atlanta, I'll probably get HSPA+ speeds.
Check coverage on this page: http://www.att.com/network/?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It shows H+ on notification bar and I'm in north Dallas which has 4G already.
artisticcheese said:
I understand that ATT 4G is really 3G+ but still I'm getting exactly the same perfomance from my Atrix as from my Captivate in the same location. Roughly 1 MB up and 3 MB down. Sometimes I get up to 5 MB down on Atrix but upload is always capped at 1 MB. Is it expected?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd have to say yes. Can't remember where I heard it but this is the "first wave" of 4g and the next wave is being worked on for the fall. I believe lte is the second phase.
I have had a similar experience coming from the captivate. But we will see as more rolls out.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
AFAIK, despite the icons showing H+ you are probably still using 3G.
I'm in NYC and I get various speeds depending on time of day and which APN Iuse, whether it's the custom APN for tethering or AT&T USA
Generally its around 4 down and 1.5-3 down
Even in an area like Long Island which doesn't have HSPA+, the H+ icon is still active and present when I use data.
It's weird though.
http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles...uments/StaticFiles/ATRIX_GSG_68014204002A.pdf
If you look at the section in the bottom with Icons and Battery Life, it says it's suppose to show 3G when 3G is being used.
The Atrix also has a help center app which has an icon section which shows 3G as an icon that should be present when 3G
If you were an early adopter of the Atrix, you would recall that when HSPA+ wasn't present in your city nor was it activated by AT&T, the H+ icon was present.
AT&T and Motorola as usual are misleading consumers.
Were I live in Louisiana I get up to 4 MB down highest I've seen so far and 2-3 upload pretty good compared to iPhone 3g half a MB both ways
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
I've noticed this as well.
When I purchased my Atrix and began my AT&T services back in April, I spoke very in depth with the sales rep about the 4G network thing. I told him I had worked for VerizonWireless for quite some time, and from that point on he didn't seem like he was holding back any information or "dumbing down" anything.
This is what he explained to me:
AT&T (at that time, before Verizon's LTE network started being instituted) was the network that was the farthest along in the process of having 4G everywhere, not just major cities.
At this point in time, the HSPA+ is basically a "3-and-a-half-G" network, with speeds up to 4x that of 3G, BUT ONLY WHERE THE TOWERS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, which is only in major cities, such as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, etc. (I'm on the East Coast, so I'm not sure about West Coast cities )
Sometime around first quarter 2012 is when they PLAN on having SOME towers broadcast FULL 4G services, which will be 6x faster than the HSPA+ (which as I stated above, is roughly 4x faster than 3G IN APPLICABLE AREAS)
SO, once all is said and done, and everyone with 4G capable phones is on a 4G network, it SHOULD be 10x faster than 3G, and 6x faster than HSPA+.
HOWEVER, the speed of the network is all dependent on the amount of traffic. If there is a lot of people accessing the 4G network, it won't be as fast, as well as if there AREN'T a lot of people on it, it will be faster.
I spoke to a Verizon rep at one of their stores, and he said that on his Thunderbolt, he was achieving speeds equivalent to his in-home FIOS, simply due to the fact that there are hardly ANY users accessing Verizon's "4G" network, LTE.
Hope this kind of helps clarify the whole "4G" rumor
fastest bs of a coverage map too. methinks atnt just copy and pasted their 3g map onto a new map and unhighlighted some less populous areas and said "TAADAAAA!! 4G *****es!!"
Must be the area/network.
Bell with the new update is really fast now.
reaching 10+ mbps down, 3.5+ mbps up
on avg. I'd say it's 5-7 mbps

What do you prefer and why 4G Late or 42+hspa

Which service is best...
Sent from my HTC Sensation
It probably depends on the area. DC-HSPA on T-Mobile actually runs faster than Verizon LTE in some areas just because Verizon doesn't open it up enough or have enough capacity or something. The nice part is that DC-HSPA is really just a fast 3G, so even if your phone only hits 14.4 HSPA, it still goes pretty fast. T-Mobile will deploy LTE next year and if that has problems it will have DC-HSPA as a fallback.
I have T-mobile and I easily get 22mbps down, 2mbps up. My husband has Verizon and he gets 23mbps down, 7mbps up. The downlink speeds are comparable. The only difference is in the uplink speeds. Verizon has the edge here. However, I have used both phones side by side and for most tasks, there isn't a huge difference.
Snowflake approved this message....
4G Late?
4G LTE
-Destroys Battery life
-Sales Gimmick
4G HSPA+
-Fast enough
-Better battery life
Can anybody really distinguish, with the naked eye, which is faster? Whose testing website is really accurate? Besides bragging rights and marketing fanfare, does it make any difference?
Hi guys,
I do not need LTE due to those facts:
1) HSDPA is fast enough.
2) in common cell phone contracts over here in Germany your speed is reduced to 64kbit after you used up 300mb per month. If I had more than that we could talk about LTE.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
Looneytoon98 said:
Can anybody really distinguish, with the naked eye, which is faster? Whose testing website is really accurate? Besides bragging rights and marketing fanfare, does it make any difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope.
Snowflake approved this message
LTE plans here are more expensive. That's a good reason.
Sent from my XT883 using xda app-developers app
LTE not Late
Mesaman2012 said:
Which service is best...
Sent from my HTC Sensation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI there is no "Late 4G", it is called "LTE". Actually there are two types of 4G; LTE and WiMax.
LTE was first used by Verizon, but is now also used by ATT. Due to marketing "schemes" some believe the Apple iPhone 5 has 4g. False! it has HSPA+, not 4G/ Sure, HSPA+ is a ton faster than 3g, but it is still not 4G.
Sprint, and T-Mobile are now also starting to use LTE. Unfortunately I don't believe LTE is standard worldwide, meaning they use different frequency bands. Similar to how a GSM american phone, may or may not work in Europe
I'm sorry that I ever put up such a topic would you ladies and gentlemen please not respond to this stupid topic.I would like to apologize for spamming the thread with this ignorant topic. Takecare
Sent from my HTC one x
Either way, we won't be hitting 4G for another 5/10 years. Although, I can't imagine why the hell a phone needs 1Gbps down and 100Mbps up. Maybe 30 years from now those speeds will be standard.
LTE and WiMax are still 3G. They're marketed as 4G (read: FauxG). They're really 3.9G.
Only LTE-Advanced is a certified 4G tech. All the others are still 3G
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
times_infinity said:
LTE and WiMax are still 3G. They're marketed as 4G (read: FauxG). They're really 3.9G.
Only LTE-Advanced is a certified 4G tech. All the others are still 3G
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that was the case originally, but it's my understanding that the group behind the 4G standards was pushed enough to bend what it qualifies as 4G. Originally 4G was when you had a minimum of 100Mbps download, but now HSPA+, WiMax, and LTE are all considered 4G technologies.
geoff5093 said:
I know that was the case originally, but it's my understanding that the group behind the 4G standards was pushed enough to bend what it qualifies as 4G. Originally 4G was when you had a minimum of 100Mbps download, but now HSPA+, WiMax, and LTE are all considered 4G technologies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By name only. The carriers cried and whined for it, so the ITU caved. It's STILL "faux G" as far as many people are concerned.
Call it whatever you want. It doesn't change the fact that it's still technically based on an older technology.
Snowflake approved this message....
Would prefer HSPA than 4G. On 4G, it's really a battery eater. However, the highest HSPA speed I've gotten was around 3mbps and around 1-2mbps upload compared to 30-45mbps download and ~20-30mbps upload.
Normally the HSPA speeds is almost the same as running on GPRS during peak hours until the three local telco was fined for providing below standard data speeds/coverage then it managed to peak around 4-5.
Clubbysupercharged said:
Would prefer HSPA than 4G. On 4G, it's really a battery eater. However, the highest HSPA speed I've gotten was around 3mbps and around 1-2mbps upload compared to 30-45mbps download and ~20-30mbps upload.
Normally the HSPA speeds is almost the same as running on GPRS during peak hours until the three local telco was fined for providing below standard data speeds/coverage then it managed to peak around 4-5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's your carrier. I've seen HSPA speeds hit 20Mb down and LTE speeds hit 60Mb down almost from seeing other speedtests.
MrObvious said:
That's your carrier. I've seen HSPA speeds hit 20Mb down and LTE speeds hit 60Mb down almost from seeing other speedtests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or his location (or the hardware limitation of the handset)
Hickory, Dickory, Dox...Snowflake approves of my HOX....
MrObvious said:
That's your carrier. I've seen HSPA speeds hit 20Mb down and LTE speeds hit 60Mb down almost from seeing other speedtests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, that's my carrier problem. Their HSPA speeds is really pathetic.
Thanks for sharing
LTE>HSPA+
My best friend bought the black Iphone five (64 gig) when he came down to Jax, and in town, we compared our speed test results.
Iphone five (lte on at&t) first test- 68 mbps down/16 mbps up
Htc Amaze (faux g) best result that day-23mbps down/3 mbps up
So, strictly speed wise, he consistently was able to pull high 60's down, while my phone that theoretically can hit 42 mbps, never reached 30's. So it seems that location is an important factor, but none the less, I cant kid myself, I rooted my phone and changed the values in the build.prop file to command the phone to max out the radio, while his was straight out of the box. Imagine if he were to jailbreak that monster, its capable of 80 mbps down. The only problem is that his screen is smaller than mine, and he has some crappy plan that wont let him tether, as oposed to us, we can hack out phones to utilize our signal on something easier on the eyes.
Now bear in mind, I am just commenting on data speed, and he is back in Greensboro, North Carolina, and he only gets 20mbps down at best. Then again, 20 mbps down would be my phone on a good day in the middle of the night.

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