T-Mobile webConnect Rocket available March 14, already blowing minds in Philly
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted March 11th 2010 10:14AM
posted March 11th 2010 10:14AM
It looks like T-Mobile's webConnect Rocket USB modem will be released right on schedule, even if you currently have to be in Philadelphia to enjoy those HSPA+ speeds (then again, if you're in Philadelphia you probably deserve a break). Accordingly, folks jumping on that March 14 release date can expect to pay $99 with a two-year contract that entitles you to monthly charges of $50 for 5GB or $20 for 200MB -- with a $0.20 / megabyte overage charge. Fun! Additionally, the kids at Mobile Burn got their hands on a unit for a review and were generally quite impressed with consistent download speeds ranging from 1780Kbps to 2797Kbps "on a couple of [DSLreports.com] East Coast servers." Hell, after moving to a location with "prime, perfect signal (-51dbm)" things picked up considerably, with, on average, 6480Kbps downloads and 2160Kbps uploads. Not bad, eh? Hit the source link to get into the nitty gritty. PR after the break.
T-Mobile webConnect Rocket USB Laptop Stick
When surfing the Web, downloading large files or watching video from a laptop on the go, customers in HSPA+ coverage areas will benefit from lightning-fast mobile broadband with a home broadband-like experience. Compatible with PC and Mac, customers simply plug the webConnect Rocket into their laptop and the built-in T-Mobile webConnect Manager software installs and automatically finds the best available Internet connection. Additionally, T-Mobile webConnect Manager enables customers to monitor how much data is being used and avoid overages.
Starting March 14, customers can purchase the T-Mobile webConnect Rocket USB Laptop Stick for $99.99 (plus taxes and fees), with a 2-year contract and Even More webConnect data plan at select T-Mobile retail stores in Philadelphia, online at http://www.T-Mobile.com or by calling 1-800-T-Mobile.
T-Mobile webConnect Service Plans
T-Mobile is bringing its suite of Even More and Even More Plus plans offering both annual contract and no annual contract options to our family of webConnect products. The new pricing plans include:
· Even More webConnect data plan (two year contract):
· $59.99/mo. for 5GB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
· $29.99/mo. for 200MB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
· Even More Plus webConnect data plan (no annual contract):
· $49.99/mo. for 5GB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
· $19.99/mo. for 200MB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
Unlimited nationwide T-Mobile HotSpot access is included in both plans and doesn't count toward monthly data usage.
T-Mobile 3G Network
Today T-Mobile's 3G high-speed data network is available in more than 273 U.S. cities covering more than 206 million people. HSPA 7.2 is now enabled across our entire 3G nationwide network and we're working to put the necessary backhaul in place to support these faster speeds.
While other carriers are waiting to deploy LTE, T-Mobile is the only national U.S. carrier upgrading its existing 3G network to support HSPA+, which is capable of delivering download/upload speeds that are significantly faster than T-Mobile's standard 3G network. With three times the speed capabilities of HSPA 7.2, HSPA+ offers theoretical peak throughput speeds of 21Mbps.
* T-Mobile recently became the first U.S. carrier to launch HSPA+ with a deployment in Philadelphia and is integrating HSPA+ into its 3G network now with broad national deployment planned for the end of 2010. In the coming months, we'll be lighting up HSPA+ in major cities on both coasts. Our network upgrade efforts are well underway and we'll share more details as the service becomes available to more customers.
When surfing the Web, downloading large files or watching video from a laptop on the go, customers in HSPA+ coverage areas will benefit from lightning-fast mobile broadband with a home broadband-like experience. Compatible with PC and Mac, customers simply plug the webConnect Rocket into their laptop and the built-in T-Mobile webConnect Manager software installs and automatically finds the best available Internet connection. Additionally, T-Mobile webConnect Manager enables customers to monitor how much data is being used and avoid overages.
Starting March 14, customers can purchase the T-Mobile webConnect Rocket USB Laptop Stick for $99.99 (plus taxes and fees), with a 2-year contract and Even More webConnect data plan at select T-Mobile retail stores in Philadelphia, online at http://www.T-Mobile.com or by calling 1-800-T-Mobile.
T-Mobile webConnect Service Plans
T-Mobile is bringing its suite of Even More and Even More Plus plans offering both annual contract and no annual contract options to our family of webConnect products. The new pricing plans include:
· Even More webConnect data plan (two year contract):
· $59.99/mo. for 5GB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
· $29.99/mo. for 200MB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
· Even More Plus webConnect data plan (no annual contract):
· $49.99/mo. for 5GB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
· $19.99/mo. for 200MB per month ($0.20/MB overage)
Unlimited nationwide T-Mobile HotSpot access is included in both plans and doesn't count toward monthly data usage.
T-Mobile 3G Network
Today T-Mobile's 3G high-speed data network is available in more than 273 U.S. cities covering more than 206 million people. HSPA 7.2 is now enabled across our entire 3G nationwide network and we're working to put the necessary backhaul in place to support these faster speeds.
While other carriers are waiting to deploy LTE, T-Mobile is the only national U.S. carrier upgrading its existing 3G network to support HSPA+, which is capable of delivering download/upload speeds that are significantly faster than T-Mobile's standard 3G network. With three times the speed capabilities of HSPA 7.2, HSPA+ offers theoretical peak throughput speeds of 21Mbps.
* T-Mobile recently became the first U.S. carrier to launch HSPA+ with a deployment in Philadelphia and is integrating HSPA+ into its 3G network now with broad national deployment planned for the end of 2010. In the coming months, we'll be lighting up HSPA+ in major cities on both coasts. Our network upgrade efforts are well underway and we'll share more details as the service becomes available to more customers.
Too Bad T-Mobile Has the worst 3G coverage.... :(
I'm a little bit surprised at the lack of disclaimers on what seems like every blog post written so far. Aside from the ones mentioned above, JKOnTheRun did a review and raved about the amazing speeds too. Seriously, every tech blogger has had nothing but great things to say about a product that, for all intents and purposes, doesn't really exist yet. There are like TEN fucking people in the US with one of these right now, of course the speeds are going to be amazing. This isn't a real test!
I bought Sprint's U300 modem not long after it came out, knowing that 4G would be coming to Chicago soon. That was a waste. I work in the loop and the speeds I get at my desk are typically under 100 kbps. And yes, I'm getting a full signal. Almost anywhere in the downtown area is the same. I've tested it in the city and suburbs and only one place (near the United Center) can consistently beat 3 megabit.
I share this anecdote because I'm sure that this is exactly what will happen when the pocket rocket (really? who named this?) comes to market. Tethering to my T-Mobile G1 can consistently outperform this supposedly superior technology. Even the Verizon Blackberry 8830 I carry around for work can do better.
Bloggers: Telling me how well a data card performs before it's publicly available is like telling me how a car performs on the moon.
@franktronic I think it's probable that there are also some problems with signal path and stuff like that in Chicago, High Rises are super unfriendly to a lot of this tech.
The price and speed is just not competitive with Comcast's offering over the Clear 4G network. For $30/mo I get speeds of 2-5Mbits in Seattle.