AT&T customers seeing sudden boost in EDGE speeds?
By Darren Murph 
posted June 28th 2007 11:23PM
posted June 28th 2007 11:23PM
[Thanks, Peter]
Update: We tried some speed tests on an EDGE handset ourselves, and though it's been a little inconsistent, we've been shocked to find a number of runs over 200kbps. True, these kinds of speeds are theoretically possible (actually, little known fact, the ITU technically defines EDGE as a 3G standard), but we'd never expect to see them in practice. Should make the iPhone's browsing experience a little more bearable if it holds up!
I use Cingular's EDGE network via tethering my Nokia 6126 thru my iBook and can state the following with all honesty:
1) My surfing this week started to feel a lot faster than before.
2) I checked my speed at dslreports/mspeed and was surprised to see regular numbers around 160k vs a previous average of about 115k and a prior absolute max of 145k.
3)MOST IMPORTANTLY. I have an IP widget that reports my current IP. In the year or so I've used this widget I've ALWAYS gotten an IP of 166.xx.xx.xx. This week, my IP has changed to 32.xx.xx.xx. So, SOMETHING is definitely up with Cingular's EDGE network whether they've allocated more space or just reshuffled some things. Flawed tests or not, something is different and it changed both the reported speeds I get and definitely feels faster than before.
@Mike Klein
I have a Treo 650 with Cingular and I stream all the time using PocketTunes (which Ive been using since the Treo 650 first came out). I pay $20/mo for unlimited data and have had no problems/complaints re TOS. But I still only get 100kb/s. :(
How are you getting away with only $20/mo? Are you on MediaNet only?
Minimal pda all-u-can-eat plan is around $45/mo.
MediaNet offers "limited" internet experience.
Can you sling on your Treo? Or hit shoutcast? I'm asking because I think you are only hitting services att provides thru their portal.
What lame-o's.... I don't care what your T-Mobile or Sprint speed is .... this is a post about EDGE.
I'm getting 1600 kbit/sec in Wilmington Delaware on an old Nokia 6230 with EDGE. This is just insane, here are some pics. http://www.baxtr.com
220 kilobits per second is still slow thats only 40 Kilobytes a second. my internet connection is 13,000 kilobits per second.
Some results from Seattle:
229 kbit/sec (0.962s latency)
181 kbit/sec (0.931s latency)
234 kbit/sec (1.057s latency)
Just going to point out the fact that many other people have, but none of the morons posting seem to have caught on to:
It doesn't matter HOW they connect or what the theoretical/actual speeds are. What matters is that there are faster speeds NOW compared to BEFORE, and that is reflected in actual experience as well as tests. If AT&T is beefing up it's network, GREAT! One more incentive for me to switch over from Verizon. (Not that the BuddhaPhone isn't incentive enough....)
No, what us "morons" don't get, is how you can't understand that your subjective "it feels faster" could just be the result of a placebo effect, because you want to believe it is faster. AT&T was already running their network at full speed. Full speed means as fast as it can go. If you are seeing the same level of reception, but it "feels faster" then it is all in your head, because it was already going as fast as it could possibly go. Now if your phone suddenly went from 1 bar of signal, to full signal, then yes, it is probably going faster, but there was no magic switch thrown that upgraded all the towers in America in preparation for the iPhone launch. There is nothing AT&T can do to make it go faster than it can possibly go. There is, how ever, plenty you can do to make yourself think it is going faster than it can possibly go. It is called the revolutionary power of delusion.
272 kbit/sec outside of boston!
Hmm tried that on the N95 using HSDPA in the UK T-Mobile and got 380k/bit, but download manager in Opera says 110kb which is more than 380 k/bit innit?
152kbps on an 8125 in Atlanta, Ga... feels a little faster but not earth-shattering... the latency is still there.
Uh... T-Mobile uses EDGE.
617 kbit/sec in Raleigh, NC on BB Pearl.
Yup... here in little ol' Palmetto, FL @ 200k
Slingplayer smooth as ever. 3G here in December so this is a nice bonus till then.
:D
It could be they added bandwidth to accomodate for the heavy data usage from the 3 million iphone users out for about the first month or so. Or at least til people get tired of internet on the go
I'd love to run a speed test at DSLReports but it doesn't support my Blackberry.
Im getting 561kbps on my D807 with an EDGE connection, which makes me think the test is messed up.
Raleigh, NC
Treo 680
www.dslreports.com/mspeed
Standard Blazer Browser
600k test
Run 1: 152 kbit/sec 1.447s latency
Run 2: 128 kbit/sec 1.081s latency
Run 3: 136 kbit/sec 1.148s latency
I just got 730kbps in NC on my Blackjack. That's up from about 200kbps
Thats all well and good, but it still won't get me to get one. I was looking at a peak of 2.88mbps down and 485kbps up on my VZW tethered phone. Usually operating around 950kbps down and 150kbps up. No way would I drop down to those slow ass speeds.
~JMD
Wireless provider and exclusive U.S. iPhone carrier AT&T Wireless has launched an internal operation aimed at boosting the data speeds of its 2.5G EDGE network ahead of this month's iPhone launch, according to a published report.
Electronic gadget site Gizmodo reports on the matter, dubbed operation "Fine Edge," which it claims has been ongoing for about six weeks. The optimization is due to wrap up around mid-month, just two weeks before the Apple handset hits the open market.
The move is reportedly part of a broader effort on AT&T's part to assure the optimal iPhone experience come June 29th, the first day the inaugural Apple mobile phone is due to turn up at Apple and AT&T retail stores.
According to the report, existing limitations and bottlenecks on the AT&T EDGE network stem not from protocols but rather the network's data backend and the way the towers are configured to allocate bandwidth to data and calls.
As such, AT&T engineers are said to be "dropping in more T-1 lines" into the poorest performing towers, hoping to get the network's paltry 40kbps performance to a new minimum of 80kpbs. (EDGE's real world maximum performance is reportedly about 200kbps.)
Prior to "Fine EDGE" and the iPhone, most of AT&T's efforts were positioned towards building out its 3G network, the report adds.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/06/05/atts_fine_edge_to_boost_network_speeds_ahead_of_iphone.html
221 kbit/sec
1.07s Latency
Portland, OR
Sorry the Portland, OR Speed was on a Nokia E62.
Indianapolis
cingular 8125 smartphone
150.2 kilobits per second
Just ran the 600k test a few times on my HTC S620 in Waunakee WI (outside Madison), averaged around 165 kbit/s after a few runs. I had first run the 100k test and my results were more inconsistent. I guess that's to be expected with a high-latency cellular connection. Still nothing special.
It'd be nice to have ANY phone that could get speeds closer to what I get at home connecting to my cable modem over wifi, outside of my house. But AT&T hasn't built out HSDPA in Madison at all, and I don't want to switch to VZW or Sprint and lose my ability to buy unlocked phones.
Despite the actual technical reasons for the speed increase (probably extra bandwidth from the proxy servers), there is still a definite performance upgrade. I write for AVGuide.com, and I tested all of my coworkers EDGE speeds (using mostly the 8125 or 8525). There are huge performance increases. It isnt hard to imagine that a stipulation of Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T is an increase in possible bandwidth, using proxy servers or not. I would not be suprised to see the increased bandwidth hold firm.
I got:
131 kbit/s on the 600k test
111 kbit/s on the 200k test
82 kbit/s on the 600k test
113 kbit/s on the 600k test
in an EDGE only area, which was around 60 kbit/s a couple weeks ago
Not bad, but still roughly 6 times slower than their 3G HSDPA network (~600kbit/s)
CNBC just mentioned this post. They said they are going to "try to get to the bottom of this" by this afternoon.
I'm in Kansas City and I just did the pcpitstop.com download speed test on my BB 8700. It ran at 1009 Kb/s. I did this same test about 3 months ago and it registered 250 Kb/s. This was at 12:15 Central time.
90-91 kbps North San Diego
I currently use the AT&T 8525 and have gotten as much as 240k/sec using it in the Detroit airport. And, no, I didn't connect to their wireless LAN.
Downtown Seattle is also over 200K on my N73.
Rob Greenlee
http://www.mobilcaster.com
bbr mobile speed test, 600k test
Houston, Med Center
kbps
-----
204
169
120
194
193
-----
176 avg
No difference that i can see.
I lied. There is a difference. My previous average was about 150kbps.
I repeatedly get around 200kbps now. :-)
I've noticed an increase in speed. I used to cancel my browser after accidentally pressing the wrong key, but now, by the time I hit cancel, all of the images are loaded.
Really, where in Michigan? I'm looking for some Ann Arbor results.
I force my 8525 to switch to EDGE. I ran 2 test. 225kb and 234kb
houston: 295
Very nice! I was worried that EDGE would go slower than an old fart with a walker, but it turns out its not too unbearable.
You guys seem to know what is happenting with this Edge system.. I had a Repeater for my ATT, running at 1900Khz picking up the Edge signal. About 2 mo ago the repeater would not pick up Edge but reverted to the the other signal, but the phone would swithch to the direct weaker Edge signel. The repeter manufacturer suggested the ATT may have switched the EDGE to 850MH to prep for iphone. My repeter is only 1900MH. ATT won't give me any info, you guys know if this is what they did??Dave
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does anybody have speeds on atlanta, GA or San Jose, CA?
I have not been able to access the EDGE network from our office building (Portland, OR) since this morning around 9 am with my iPhone. I never had problems with EDGE and my old Blackberry 7130c. Anyone else having problems today?
Nashville TN
Cingular 8525 running WM6 and PIE
EDGE mode (forced) 234kbit/sec .552 lat 14s d/l
HSPDA mode 712kbit/sec .355 latency 8s d/l