As the clock ticks down on Verizon's opening salvo of commercial
LTE availability, PR noise is growing into a dull roar -- not to say we necessarily mind, considering how desperately we're looking forward to more 4G footprint in the States. Today, the company is reporting that engineers have managed to coax up to 40-50Mbps down and 20-25Mbps up out of its test networks currently deployed in Boston and Seattle -- not what we can expect in a real-world environment where you're on a train surrounded by obstacles and other people trying to use the network, but a pretty nice, round set of numbers nonetheless. In actual usage, they're reporting more down-to-Earth figures of 5-12Mbps down (count on 5) and 2-5Mbps up (count on 2), which still bests EV-DO Rev. A by a healthy margin. Of course, this is just the beginning --
LTE will get better over time -- so this sounds like a nice start.
posted March 8th 2010 12:53PM
dayum. better get a move on AT&T.
ATT isnt even in the race. Sprint... YOU better get your 4G ON!
Looks like VZW is going to win the next generation also.
@kojo87
Yeah Boston!!! Shit is going to be smoking fast for all us patriots as soon as this thing lights up to the general public!!
@Craptorium Verizon won't see a 4G handset for at least 1 year probably more. Sprint will have Multiple within the year. Wimax FTW. (at least short term)
@Craptorium
Been there, done that. This all looks great on paper, but in the real world, CLEAR wasn't that great. They are all pumping everyone up with figures that don't react like that in real-world use. I finally dropped Clear. Maybe this will work like the PR claims, but i don't expect it to.
ATT should introduce "1G", then claim lower number=better service.
@Dick Lynch Verizon? 4G? 1 year? iPhone........ mmmmm....
@HerbieDerb
the reason Verizon continues to "win" each generation has really become a self fulfilling prophecy.
they have a huge user base which = huge profit (because they nickel and dime said user base to death) which in turn = more money to build a bigger network which = a huge user base.
@willowtwf
Its either b/c VZW is doing what described or ATT not doing it, that is keeping VZW #1
@Dick Lynch
I've had front facing camera now for at least 6 years over lots of different handset. I think in that time I've made 3 calls with them for novelty value alone. Even when I had an hour of video mins a month as part of my package I never used them.
What's the big deal about seeing someone on a small screen whilst you have to hold the phone in front of you
@willowtwf I have no problem paying verizon more for service that works.
@kojo87 AT&T will simply continue to make commercials about how you can look up movie times while on the phone with your friend..
Though it makes me curious if LTE can allow phone calls + data at the same time.
@HerbieDerb
Sprint better get a move on?
You do know Sprint already beat Verizon's 2010 market launch targets back in 2009 right? And that they're more than doubling things this year?
@CallDon With LTE there was talk about 100mb at start, but the real world first networks are working in the land of mobile phones, North Europe capitals in 50mb download speeds. Those networks have been live since late last year. I don't know about you, but that is pretty sweet.
Dick Lynch Yeah it's great to have multiple WIMAX networks if you want to be part of already dying 4G tech. The fact is that all EU countries are going for LTE and so is Verizon in states. Same goes for Asia where example China will only be about LTE in next year when they start building their 4G network.
Fact is that European and Asian mega chip and real phone makers that actually build their phones will be going for LTE.
Nokia Siemens Network and Ericsson that got 80% of networks in their hands are now committed for LTE.
@HerbieDerb
Doesn't Sprint already have 4G? Even still, Sprint's been rumored to have some 4G phones coming out this year anyway. I'd say Sprint's doing just fine in this race.
@COCOViper
Most would consider launching a beta WiMax network and claiming 'FIRST!' pretty desparate on Sprint's part.
Doubling from 1 to 2 is easier than going from 5 to 10. Get it?
Try to figure out why Sprint is bleeding badly.
@sfox8
Youre a victim of their cheap tactic advertising. Sprint is in fail mode and spiraling down toward bankruptcy.
@HerbieDerb An actual deployed 4G network in several markets is not "cheap tactic advertising", it's reality!!!
@Drayzthawts
Putting up a few 4G towers and calling it FIRST! is pretty cheap. Go check their 4G map on their site. Look for blue. Makes ATT's 3G blue map look like its kickin'.
@CallDon
What in the world are you talking about? The earliest test trials of driving around on the freeway in Portland/Hillsboro showed WiMax delivering 6Mbps consistently. In the real world, that's what I'm getting:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/742093674.png
@Pdexter
Well the speeds are still high when there is a shortage of modems and the price is still rather high (~60 € or 599 SEK). And these Nordic networks has wider bands at 20 MHz per band that allows higher speeds. I will upgrade when the newer generation of LTE modems comes on the market later this year with support for both LTE and legacy networks.
WIMAX will coexist with LTE, smaller carriers might use it and they have a few years headstart and larger userbase. But established carriers will probably go for LTE. China will mostly build TD-LTE and regular LTE will be concentrated to larger city's,
Lots of England hasn't even got 3G coverage yet....
We're always left out of this kind of stuff.
can I haz highspeed internet and 4g coverage
@MaxL
and in England you really have no excuse. at least in the States we can claim that it's hard (near impossible) to build out an infrastructure to cover our entire land mass. England should be competing with Korea and Japan in terms of technology infrastructure
@willowtwf
I agree, given the strength of the British £ building an ultra fast 4G network should be cheeper than anywhere else. So their excuse shouldn't be finances- maybe it's spectum issues or high taxes.
@willowtwf
I get headache everytime I read or hear someone use that excuse that "country is smaller hence it should be easier to create an infrastructure." Please think before writting, if this was true, then maybe every city in the world should just be its own country. Oh, that doesn't so right does it? I know.
If a country is small their resources for putting up the infrastructure scale likewise. The only reason Europe and parts of Asia are ahead of North America in wireless speeds its because they focused investments in that market, its as simple as that.
I don't know about the UK, but where I live Vodafone offers 7.2 mbps throughout most of the country and 21.6 mbps in the city I live in.
@Jaysont34
Forgot to mention, Vodafone has been offering this for at least over half a year at least (the 21.6 mbps), and people have been saying good things about the connection quality.
Remind me how many markets Verizon has that are 4G right now.
Oh yeah....
@Nerdtalker
Verizon do markets ? I thought they were a phone company...
@Nerdtalker
And remind me how many markets AT&T has 4G in right now... heck who am I kidding? How about you just remind me how many they have 3G in that currently work correctly...
oh yeah..
@Nerdtalker
Whose ass are you trying to kiss with that comment? Welcome to oblivion my friend.
@Evan
I believe Sprint since they've launched over 30 already.
@azerk
Verizon cheated with there "3g" network, there 2g network underwent minor software and minor hardware upgrades so it was a cheap, and fast. This is why there 3g is way slower, and cant data transfer while in a call. While ATT had to completely build a new network where tower spacing isnt the same as there 2g network. well see how verizon really does when they have to completly rebuild there network like AT&T.
You got to remember Its a big country and AT&T's switch to 4g will be cheaper and faster than verizons because LTE is a newer version of GSM so there more compatible
Dear Verizon,
A Bostonian here. How do I get on this trial?
Thanks,
Alex
I could make so many car analogies right now, but I'm just going to leave it at a simple "Duh."
Somehow I expected Verizon to fuck this up.. it wasn't realistic to expect 100mbs. They are going to milk the slow speeds for as long as possible until the competition forces them to upgrade.
@Eternity
Yeah, because competition is what "forced" them to enter the FTTH market.
@Alex
Ever heard of Optimum Online Ultra or Boost?
Why the hell isn't At&t pursuing LTE technology? It's ridiculous, and they're going to lose marketshare because of it. I've been an At&t customer for 7 years and I've been more than happy with the service, it's great, but it's time to move on to bigger and better things.
@The Missing Link: AT&T's network is such a screw-up job that I don't think they'll be able to switch to 4G without some serious network modifications.
@The Missing Link Probably because they don't need to as much as VZW. The technology their 3g network is based on (HSPA) can scale up to 42mbps and beyond! ...and at the very least they can upgrade to 21mbps per channel in which they already run a minimum of 2 and up to 4 of in cities...and when GSM dwindles even more, they can allocate even more channels to HSPA....and in addition to that, years down the line they can start deploying 4g on clean unused spectrum.
Remember it's not all about peak speeds, it's about capacity and average speeds, and HSPA+ can deliver.
@The Missing Link Oh and the reason why ATT's HSPA hasn't performed is because they haven't devoted enough resources to it as much as GSM as had..that has been and is continuing to change though.
@The Missing Link
"I've been an At&t customer for 7 years and I've been more than happy with the service,"
I think you just answered your own question. Why spend millions on deploying and testing new technologies when they can wait until it's cheaper.
@zephxiii but the average consume doesn't understand that. they will see 4G and immediately assume its better than any 3G. the general public is enthralled with buzzwords. give them a 4G Hybrid 3D HDTV with Blu-Ray and Multitouch and they will throw their life savings at you.
@kojo87 sad but true
I assume that 5-12 down/2-5 up is for a 1x1 configuration (1 down channel/1 up channel). I'm also assuming that within 18-24 months of initial deployment, we'll start seeing 2x2 (or even 3x3?) LTE data-only devices that will really ramp up the speed.Of course, these are big assumptions based on conjecture and nothing more!
It's great to have an LTE network, how about showing off some phones that actually use it.
@David V they don't exist yet, the LTE spec is currently only finalized for DATA, how VOICE will be transmitted is in the final stages of specification. You won't see LTE phones for another 12 months atleast.
I wonder if the latency issue with WWAN networks will ever be improved. Any numbers for Lte latency?
@Standingfast
Latency is much improved. Look up that post about the European company who's network is already live and you'll see. I cant remember the numbers off the top of my head.
@ramifications
Thats great, I'm pretty happy with 3G speeds (of course faster is always better), but the latency is what kills 3G.