The 4G thread: Wireless carrier upgrade plans

[ShoxX]

AT&T is also beginning phase 1 of the 4g build out in Virginia sometime early 2012. VZW is well into phase 3. I just picked up a new Moto Razr yesterday. downloaded Skype (10mb) and had it installed in less than 45 sec.

 

[haven]

Not exactly an "upgrade" from the customers perspective, but Verizon Wireless plans to charge a $2 administrative fee when customers use a credit card to pay their wireless bills. You can avoid the $2 charge if you sign up for a plan that automatically debits your bank account. The new plan takes effect Jan. 15.

http://gigaom.com/mobile/verizons-new-years-vow-cut-back-on-credit-cards/

Update: After large numbers of blog posts decrying the new fee, and with the FCC starting to ask questions, Verizon Wireless backed down and canceled plans to charge the $2 fee.

 

[haven]

AT&T Wireless announced today that 4G LTE service is now available in several more regions, including New York City, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. AT&T says they now provide LTE service in 26 markets, where 80 million people live.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/atandt-expands-lte-coverage-to-eleven-new-markets/

 

[McZippie]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/67848-What-is-your-cell-phones-Internet-speed

$72 total per month for unlimited 4GLTE with Verizon.
And yes, the downloads speeds are just behind my Comcast cable at home, but the upload on mobile blows away Comcast.

Just got a Verizon 4G air card and did a speed test, download 42 Mbps, upload 15 Mbps.... That's right no misprint 42 Mbps! It was crazy fast, Netflix's had two snaps of the fingers pause for movie loading.
In comparision at the same location, Time Warner Cable with Turbo Boost, download 17 Mbps, upload 4.5 Mbps.
.
Later the same day tested the 4G air card's speed at another location, download 9 Mbps, upload 11 Mbps.

 

[haven]

Sprint - LTE on unlimited plan

A spokesperson for Sprint has confirmed that Sprint's LTE phones will offer unlimited data service. While AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile will charge more if you exceed your contracted data amount for the month, Sprint will not charge extra, and won't throttle your data speed.

http://www.techhog.com/sprint-quiet...k-will-be-unlimited-like-their-current-plans/

That's the good news. The bad news is that Sprint is lagging far, far behind its competitors in the introduction of LTE. While Verizon offers LTE in more than 200 metro areas today, and AT&T is up to 31 metro areas today, Sprint has LTE service available in only 6 metro areas today (Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio). More are on the way, but it will be the end of 2013 before Sprint LTE is available nationally.

T-Mobile continues to offer fast data access using a technology other than LTE. T-Mobile covers 175 metro areas with its HSPA+ network. Data speeds are a little slower than LTE in most cases, but comparable. HSPA+ is used by AT&T as well, but T-Mobile has implemented a higher speed version (theoretical 42 megabits per second vs AT&T's 14 mbps).

 

[gary in ohio]

First 4G means nothing in the way of speed or services. Its just a marketing badge..... In many parts of the world 3G is as fast a 4G is here in the US...
Behind the scenes you have WiMAX, LTE or tmobiles HSPA. No one is offering a IMT-Advanced true 4G service in the US..