The 4G thread: Wireless carrier upgrade plans

[haven]

At the CES show, AT&T clarified its plans for faster data services. The company will begin deploying LTE (Long Term Evolution) equipment in mid-2011. LTE will be available in most of USA by in 2013.

AT&T went on to say that most of its existing network has been upgraded to HSPA+ (Evolved High Speed Packet Access) specifications, which will permit data transfers up to 7 or 8 million bits per second. That's a big improvement over the ~1 million bits that AT&T subscribers get today.

HSPA+ trials are under way in a few locations now, and HSPA+ services will be widely available in 2011. AT&T will sell new phones, tablets and data modems that use HSPA+ during 2011.

Just like T-Mobile, AT&T is planning to advertise the HSPA+ service as "4G" even though technically it isn't. So it's fair to say that if "3G" means fast, then "4G" means faster, and nothing more.

 

[haven]

Verizon is now offering its 4G data service for $50 a month (for 5 GB data transfers) or $80 a month (10 GB of data transfers).

Here's a review of the Verizon 4G data modem (it attaches to your laptop via USB). The reviewer saw download speeds of 43 Mb/second, and uploads of 1.7 Mb/second!
http://www.carrypad.com/2011/04/11/mini-review-lg-4g-lte-usb-modem/

Verizon is offering two 4G hotspot devices (4g radio and WiFi router in a small box): one from Samsung, and a second from Novatel, the MiFi 4510L. Either costs $99 with two year contract. Several reviewers have reported problems with the Samsung 4G hotspot, while the Novatel MiFi seems trouble-free so far.

Here's a review of the MiFi 4510L: http://gigaom.com/mobile/verizon-lte-mifi-4510l-review/ The reviewer saw 16 Mb downloads and 5 Mb uploads. That's faster than most people get over a cable modem!

 

[haven]

Sprint offers "4G" service through its partnership with ClearWire. They offer WiMax service in about 75 cities. Check if your area has 4G WiMax coverage here
http://shop2.sprint.com/en/stores/popups/4G_coverage_popup.shtml

Sprint sells a Novatel Wireless MiFi 3G/4G mobile hotspot for $79 with two year contract. The data plans for the MiFi are unusual in that they provide "unlimited" 4G use, plus a ceiling on the 3G use. The 3G service would be needed if you traveled outside the area where 4G service is available.

Here are the prices:

$45 a month = unlimited 4G, but only 3 GB on Sprint's 3G network
$60 a month = unlimited 4G, 5 GB 3G
$90 a month = unlimited 4G, 10 GB 3G

Sprint advertises that its 4G WiMax service provides 3 to 6 megabits per second downloads, which is 5 to 10 times faster than Sprint's 3G download speed.

http://shop2.sprint.com/en/stores/popups/4G_coverage_popup.shtml

 

[haven]

Different technologies enable the high speed data services offered by cell phone providers in USA today. Verizon uses LTE. Sprint employs WiMax. And AT&T and T-Mobile use HSPA+.

Today, T-Mobile seems to be in the lead in the race to offer 4G service. The company's HSPA+ 21 megabit per second service is available in more than 100 metropolitan networks, potentially serving 200 million people. Check your T-Mobile 4G coverage here
http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com/hspa-mobile-broadband#check-your-4g-coverage-data

Now T-Mobile has switched on HSPA+ 42 mbps service in 55 cities. You'll need a $99 USB modem sold by T-Mobile to take advantage of the higher speeds.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/24/t-mobile-flips-on-42mbps-hspa-across-55-markets-to-launch-rock/

Verizon is in second place in the race to deploy 4G. Its 4G service is available now in 40 markets that serve 110 million people. Verizon plans to add an additional 100 markets by the end of 2011. http://news.vzw.com/news/2011/03/pr2011-03-21a.html
Check Verizon's LTE coverage here
http://network4g.verizonwireless.com/#/coverage

Sprint claims WiMax 4G coverage for 40 million people. The coverage map is here
http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?ECID=vanity:coverage

AT&T is working to update its data network to 21 mbps HSPA+. The carrier hopes to provide HSPA+ 21 to 2/3 of its customers by the end of 2011.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384959,00.asp
Check 4G data coverage on the map here
http://www.att.com/network/#fbid=iiDlcu4ll2k

That's the story on 4G availability. But what about performance?

It's hard to predict exactly what sort of download speed you'll receive from a 4G device. The quality of your connection and the number of other people using the service at your location will affect the speed on a moment-by-moment basis. Also important is the type of equipment you're using. Using the same 4G technology, a USB modem attached directly to a computer generally returns the fastest results A mobile hotspot is next fastest. And a smartphone generally is the slowest.

A couple of magazines and blogs have reported test results that compare 4G service in different cities. Verizon LTE comes out on top, with real world test results producing download speeds between 8 and 10 megabits per second. Uploads average about 5 mbps. Services from other carriers are half as fast as Verizon, or slower.

A couple of test results:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/reviews/should-you-make-the-jump-to-4g
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41485079/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/t/putting-g-speed-test/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/221931/4g_wireless_speed_tests_which_is_really_the_fastest.html

Generally, you'll need a new phone or data device to take advantage of the latest 4G services provided by the cell phone carriers. The list of phones that support 4G data is expanding daily.

Unfortunately, most existing phones can't be upgraded as new 4G service appears. If you have an older phone, a mobile hotspot may be the answer. The hotspot connects to your phone via WiFi, and to the carrier's data service via 4G.

 

[haven]

T-Mobile announced today that their "Fast 4G" service has been turned on in 41 additional cities. For T-Mobile, Fast 4G means a theoretical 42 Mbits per second download using the a version of HSPA+ technology.

The list of cities T-Mobile added today is here
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/t-mobile-4g-spreads-to-41-new-cities/2916

The original 55 markets served by T-Mobile's Fast 4G are listed at the end of this web page
http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/t-mobile-increase-4G-network-speed

T-Mobile sells a USB modem called the Rocket 3.0 that can take advantage of the Fast 4G service. In real world tests of the 42Mbit service, as reported on a variety of web sites, I've read of results between 12 and 17 Mbits. Not bad for a wireless device!

Unfortunately, other "4G" devices sold by T-Mobile today are limited to a theoretical maximum download speed of 21 Mbps, and real-world performance around 5-6 Mbps. So you can't buy a phone or hotspot from T-Mobile today that can take advantage of the 42 Mbps performance, only the Rocket 3.0 USB modem. I expect this to change over the summer.

 

[haven]

Verizon 4G available to half of USA population

Verizon Wireless announced today that its LTE 4G service is available in a few more cities, and several cities with LTE service now have more cell sites for better coverage. The result: Verizon says its LTE service is available to half the population of USA. Not bad progress for a service that was introduced less than a year ago.

Check Verizon's 4G coverage map here
http://network4g.verizonwireless.com/#/coverage

Verizon offers smartphones, tablets, netbooks, USB modems and hotspots that have 4G capability. 4G coverage is still limited to urban areas, so if you're traveling in USA you'll be using Verizon's 3G CDMA EVDO data network a lot. Just make sure that your LTE device can switch over to EVDO when needed.

Verizon does not offer ad-hoc data plans. You have to sign up for a regular monthly plan. The most popular seems to be $50 for 5GB of data.

Verizon's LTE service is very fast compared to alternatives. Here's an article describing one subscriber's experience using LTE in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4605/samsung-galaxy-tab-101-4g-lte-review

 

[haven]

Verizon offers inexpensive 4G phone

Today, most fancy, state of the art smartphones cost about $250 when purchased with a two year data plan from your favorite carrier. Verizon aims to change this with a new smartphone that will cost only $99 with a two year commitment. The phone is 4G LTE capable, and includes a GPS chip for navigation.

http://news.vzw.com/news/2011/09/pr2011-09-16b.html

To be sure, the Pantech Breakout has specs like the best phones did in Fall 2010. Features include a 4 inch 800x480 display, Android 2.3, a 1GHz single-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 5MP rear camera, a 640x480 front camera for video chat, and a 1,500mAh battery.

At the link above, Verizon says the Breakout can function as a mobile hotspot for up to 10 WiFi devices. No mention is made of extra charges for the hotspot function, but I expect Verizon will not provide this for free.

Speaking of charges, the cheapest Verizon plan for the Breakout will be $40 for a nationwide calling plan, plus $30 for a 2GB data plan.

 

[haven]

Last week, Verizon Wireless powered up 4G LTE service in 26 more cities. This brings the total cities served by Verizon LTE to 143. The goal by year end is 175 cities. Here's more information http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/20/verizon-continues-nationwide-lte-expansion-tour-edges-closer-to/

Why do people care about LTE? It's very fast in both upload and download speeds. There are plenty of reports online of downloads in the 12 megabit to 18 megabit range. Uploads tend to be in the 5 megabit to 8 megabit range. That's faster than the internet service that most people get from their cable provider. Streaming a movie while driving down the freeway? No problem! Just don't let the driver watch the movie.

Oh, and AT&T has launched its first LTE service in 5 cities: Chicago, Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. AT&T says they will add 10 more cities by year end.

It turns out that there are a number of radio frequencies assigned to LTE. Verizon and AT&T use different frequencies to enable their services to work side by side in an urban area. At this point it looks like you'd have to buy a new phone if you switched from AT&T LTE to Verizon LTE.

 

[haven]

Today Sprint announced plans to roll out LTE service. The program will start in Summer 2012. Sprint figures it will have LTE service in 120 metro areas by the end of 2012. It will take until 2013 to cover all 260 markets across USA.

Sprint was the first carrier to offer higher speed data service when it introduced WiMax. The service worked pretty well where it was available. But Clearwire, the company that provided the WiMax receivers, had financial problems, delaying the deployment across the country.

Sprint will continue WiMax service through 2012, but its future is uncertain after that.

Here's the box score as of October 2011:

Verizon Wireless - 175 metro areas served by LTE by the end of 2011
AT&T - 15 metro areas with LTE by year's end
Sprint - about 75 metro areas served by WiMAX, no LTE in 2011
T-Mobile - 198 metro area markets served today with HSPA+ service

T-Mobile thinks it can provide service that's as fast as LTE using a faster version of HSPA. Test results show T-Mobile and Verizon are very close in download speed, with Verizon usually winning by a Megabit or two.

To give an idea of the speed of T-Mobile's HSPA+ service, consider this. Its HSPA+ equipment has a theoretical top speed for downloads of 42 megabits per second (mbps). In contrast, the new iPhone 4S uses an HSPA+ version with a 14.4 mbps theoretical performance. The older iPhone 4 uses a 7.2 mbps radio.

T-Mobile has released two phones that can take advantage of the 42 mbps performance. They are T-Mobile's versions of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze 4G. Both are Android phones. T-Mobile also offers a mobile hotspot called the T-Mobile Sonic 4G.

Conclusion: T-Mobile is worth considering, alongside Verizon, if you're looking for the fastest data service.

 

[Corey]

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.

 

[haven]

Long-standing Verizon customers (like forum member Corey) have unlimited data plans. But new customers are required to sign up for plans that have a data limit. Exceed the limit, and you pay more.

Now Verizon has announced a plan for its LTE customers that will double the data available each month before the extra charges kick in. Starting Tuesday, 11/8, new and existing LTE customers will be able to sign up for data plans as follows
300 MB of data for $20 a month,
4 GB for $30,
10 GB for $50,
20 GB for $80.

This promotion will be available for a limited time. It will be interesting to see if AT&T and T-Mobile will offer similar deals. Sprint currently offers an unlimited data plan.

Update: Verizon says, "Existing LTE customers need to request the change via customer service or through their My Verizon accounts" to take advantage of the new data plan.

 

[keezer37]

My daughter just picked up a My Touch 4g Slide and the bill payer called about data plans this morning to add.

T-Mobile - $20 unlimited

Must be a catch I'll find out about later on down the line.

But I suppose I better grab it before it changes.

 

[nwoods]

T
Verizon Wireless - 175 metro areas served by LTE by the end of 2011
AT&T - 15 metro areas with LTE by year's end
Sprint - about 75 metro areas served by WiMAX, no LTE in 2011
T-Mobile - 198 metro area markets served today with HSPA+ service

AT&T is starting their roll-out, with live testing now ongoing in two major cities, New York, and inexplicably, Phoenix. I find it amazing that they are rolling it out in Phoenix, in a state where much of it doesn't even have 3G coverage yet! However, if you live in Phoenix, the speed is supposed to be amazing!

http://www.bgr.com/2011/12/02/at-tests-show-blistering-speeds-up-to-40mbps/

 

[haven]

Verizon Wireless has confirmed stories that the carrier is planning to provide new family plans that include a data allocation that is shared across multiple smart phones. Today, family plans share minutes allocated to voice calls, but each phone on the family plan has a separate data allocation per month.

Depending on your family's use of their phones, a shared data allocation could allow you to reduce your phone bill a bit. This would also be useful for "families" composed of one person who has multiple devices under contract to Verizon.

http://gigaom.com/mobile/verizon-confirms-family-data-plans-coming-in-2012/

If Verizon goes forward with this plan, it's likely that other carriers will follow.

 

[haven]

As nwoods points out, AT&T just added New York City to the list of metro areas where its LTE service is available. There's news this morning that AT&T is testing LTE in the San Francisco area as well. So the pace of AT&T's upgrade effort seems to be picking up.