AT&T kicks it into overdrive, rolls out 7.2Mbps everywhere -- but there's a catch
By Chris Ziegler 
posted January 5th 2010 5:26PM
posted January 5th 2010 5:26PM
AT&T was quick to steal a smidge of T-Mobile's thunder today with the announcement at an investor's conference that has sped up its 7.2Mbps HSPA software upgrade to all 3G cell sites, moving up the original deadline of 2011. Here's the thing, though: they didn't really move up the 2011 date because 7.2Mbps-capable cells don't do much good without a wide-enough pipe to feed them on the back end. That's the other part of AT&T's one-two punch for boosting network speeds, and that part won't be wrapped up for a while yet. The company says that it expects "the majority" of the mobile data it handles to operate over its upgraded back end by the tail end of this year -- and it's already started the upgrades in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami -- but the reality here is that we probably won't be blazing anywhere near the theoretical max throughput for a little while yet.
i love it when people think they are entitled to whatever phone they want and pay whatever they want to. My favorite thing to do everyday is to deny customers that are trying to get around the system.
@lunchboxx1111
LOL too bad I work for at&t and will always get around their system LMAO.
That's AT&T for ya! Big talk, little game. It's good to know that when I can manage to pick up a signal, it will be "blazing fast", theoretically that is. These guys need to stop focusing on speed, and work on their mediocre reliability. And somebody please take Luke Wilson off the air! Big Red's ad campaign is way better; and they actually back their's up with a great network. Just admit defeat and we can all move on with our lives.
@calebgriffin You know, I've been hearing about the reliability thing and Verizon's ads claiming their network was so much better. Since my contract was up with AT&T, I decided to give them a try. I ported my number out and got the Touch Pro 2.
I will also state that I'm a former Verizon employee and I left the company on good terms. :P
That said, I've been really disappointed with Verizon's coverage around here. I live in suburban Baltimore. I expected great things. What I've found is mediocre 3G coverage, and it drops to 1X a lot. Verizon's map looks a lot better, for the most part though, I was lucky to have 2 bars of strength. Many times driving and even at my house, I had no bars. While driving thru rural PA and Maryland on my way to visit my family, where supposedly there was 3G coverage, I barely had 1X coverage. Try using data repeatedly on 1X - on a download I was getting 8K a second - that's like a 56k modem. That was in an area that had confirmed 3G coverage (northern Virginia out by Dulles airport) as it would go there for voice calls, but not on data.
Thinking it may have been the phone and being a knowledgeable HTC users, I flashed to a different radio. It has improved somewhat, but it hasn't lived up to the hype that I expected considering the commercials. In my experience, they're no better than AT&T and arguably, I've had worse coverage with Verizon. If 1x isn't a big deal for voice on VZ, GSM isn't bad for voice either (though I think 1x has a bit better quality, but GSM gets the job done adequately).
I'm debating porting back - still have 2 weeks to decide. I updated my roaming list per Verizon's suggestion and we'll see if it gets better. Despite its issues, AT&T at least worked more consistently for me.
AT&T had its issues and I think Verizon's correct criticism should help them get things into better shape. However, I think Verizon's overselling its capability and if there's better 3G coverage and a better network, I haven't seen it yet.
@Superguy Well, I think it probably does depend on the area of the country you live in somewhat. I'm from Georgia and I am a former AT&T customer and even in Downtown Atlanta (where AT&T mobility happens to be headquartered) the 3G connection would rarely last for more than a few minutes at a time. And the voice quality sucks! You should really consider trying a different phone (it is Windows Mobile after all) if you're having that many issues. I've never been to Baltimore but I've used both AT&T and Verizon in NYC and there is no comparison- Verizon easily bested AT&T in signal strength, voice quality, and 3G connection; so Verizon's not just the best in the South. I hate to hear you're having that many problems. But, at the end of the day if AT&T works best for you then that's who you should go with. It's all about who has the best coverage where you live and travel. For me, it's Verizon all the way.
typical at$t... more lies...