digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

AT&T to boost 3G speeds more than fivefold by 2009

appleinsider.com — AT&T said Wednesday it plans to boost the speed of its 3G wireless network to speeds of 20 megabits per second in 2009, paving the way for over-the-air downloads that are more than five times faster than what customers can achieve today.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • ninjadave, on 05/14/2008, -31/+3Hmm 63 diggs, no comments. I'm calling shens.
    • jabberwolf, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3HA you got buried by admins!
      But I'm sure they want someone to mention iphone for this.
      Oh well, rulers can't always get what they want.
  • evo8ftw, on 05/14/2008, -29/+3wtf no comments and its on the front page????????????
    • HonoredMule, on 05/14/2008, -0/+31) You know you can like something without chattering about it, right?
      2) You can even like (and digg) something about which you have nothing intelligent to say at all.
      Heck, more diggers need to recognize case #2.
      3) Then there's diggers who don't like content, yet chatter away anyway, or even complain about it...
      Recognizing case #2 could have saved you from case #3--annoying ignoramus.
  • iperbole, on 05/14/2008, -13/+1Holy Crap! Google maps will be flying at my face now.

    /sarcasm
  • Aleman360, on 05/14/2008, -2/+74***** that's over 10 times faster than my AT&T DSL. I'll believe it when it's launched.
    • DanBoodro, on 05/14/2008, -0/+49Time to get your 3G phone tethered to your PC and cancel your ***** DSL.
      • Tyr7BE, on 05/14/2008, -0/+6Only if you have deep, deep, DEEEEEEEP pockets
      • Laminarcissus, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3Only if you consider $19.95 a month deep, deep, DEEEEEEEP pockets. That's what my AT&T 3G unlimited data plan costs and it tethers just fine.
        • polywaffle, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1its only that cheap because they know you cant download too much with current speeds.
    • dfsjdkflasjk, on 05/14/2008, -0/+14It must suck to have 2mbps
      • ziggy88, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2It does Suck!
      • DanBoodro, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I don't think I'd be able to live. Reminds me how tough times were back in the dial up days.
    • Radan, on 05/14/2008, -0/+6Wow, seeing how we got 7.2 Mbit/s Turbo 3G for $30 a month here in Sweden, that is pretty much just sad.

      Though, 20 Mbit/s would be cool. I wonder how much it would cost.
      • TheKorn2, on 05/14/2008, -1/+92 barrels of oil/megabit, with at&t's pricing structure.
    • gwinerreniwg, on 05/14/2008, -2/+3They have been saying this ***** for years now. I'll believe it when I see. As a veteran corp customer of wireless companies, I've heard promises after promises for almost 6 years now.
    • VitriolAndAngst, on 05/14/2008, -0/+4I wonder how many $3 ringtones I could download with that?

      If AT&T opens the floodgates with this sort of speed --- then the only thing stopping people from using cell tech instead of DSL and cable at home will be the price. They could do this probably, for not much more than the current costs -- it's just some hardware and a software change that once in place, should cost no more than the current hardware.

      It all depends on if WiMax actually brings on the competition and people start building their own networks -- I think that is really the hidden story here. With a few people running a WiMax setup-- they could provide data transfer for a small city. Without Internet providers and Baby Bells in-between, and if the FCC lets them (not likely -- they won't be getting any money from citizens), people can set up their own communications networks.

      I almost hope AT&T drags their feet. The ONLY reason I can see faster networks and cheaper prices is that if there is new competition. And then the "clogging of the pipes" due to all the bandwidth hogs will somehow be forgotten. You do realize that at 20 mbit on a cell phone, they are transferring faster than your home network -- right? So, what was stopping them from doing that? They've been throttling the internet and charging as high a fee as they could get away with for all our communications for years -- because our congressmen are paid to let them get away with it.
    • Tenoq, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1And in the meantime, Telstra in Australia is offering 14.4Mbps NOW, for the wonderful price of $114.95 per month (3GB combined download/upload limit).
      Don't you just love incumbent telcos. :p
    • brundlefly76, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Exactly - however, its AT&T's 3G *coverage* which really needs attention, more than its speeds.
  • durangotang, on 05/14/2008, -2/+6Let's hope so!
    • sergiodlopes, on 05/14/2008, -5/+8Here in Portugal we have technology 3.5G for a couple of years on all 3 mobile phone networks
      • luchid, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3Good for you.
      • reed311, on 05/14/2008, -1/+12Apples to oranges. The US is several times the size of Portugal. We have several states that are larger than your country. It is much easier to blanket a smaller area.
        • Tenoq, on 05/15/2008, -2/+3The US is not several times the size of Australia, and yet we've also had it for at least 18 months. Not to mention the fact you have 10 times the population, and therefore 10 times the potential revenue.
          • mattyice11, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3Australians are usually the ones I see complaining the most when it comes to bandwidth - slow speeds and monthly download caps that I've exceeded in about 45 minutes.
          • Tenoq, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1matty - this is true of fixed-line broadband, but to be fair, we DO have a more technologically advanced mobile network with FAR less reason to build one. I STILL complain about the expense and download limits on wireless or wired broadband here - but at least we have the option.
            I mean, what's the excuse for the US to be so far behind? It's not geological - which is exactly what I was pointing out.
        • GOVATENT, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2I always think about that, size of land, but another thing I might consider is that they might have faster internet, but they all have bandwidth limits. The only thing I enjoy paying our crappy US networks is that we don't have bandwidth limits. (cough) I can download mostly as much as I want.
  • Quick2822, on 05/14/2008, -8/+11I don't know about you guys, but it feels like for the last 3-4 years I've seen countless "This feature is coming out next year!" but when the next year comes, it is always the same old boring companies providing nothing but contracts and the same old boring phones.

    The open-source movement needs to get here soon .. Android and LiMo
    • MacEnvy, on 05/14/2008, -0/+9This isn't about devices or features (really), it's about the network. Your Android phone isn't going to do you much good without a wireless network to run it on, and this seems like it might be a good option ... if it actually comes to pass.
  • ProjectGSX, on 05/14/2008, -2/+40Screw speed, boost COVERAGE. Id like to be able to take more than a step in Austin without switching back and forth between 3G and EDGE.
    • KUKBAHLAM, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1And I would love to see the miles of fiber under South 1st lit up. They have torn up the whole length of it from the river to Ben White twice now. Drive down it any given day and you will see them spooling out more fiber. Its been almost 10 years since they started!
      I think we will both be disappointed as delivering new services is not a priority for AT&T.
      But what do you expect from a company run out of San Antonio?
  • Mahoney07, on 05/14/2008, -1/+10How much does 3G cost per month?
    • DanBoodro, on 05/14/2008, -0/+9As much as your normal monthly bill, no extra fees. Most 3G is only available in big cities though. So make sure you check the coverage map.
      • 1jaxstate1, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2I live in a mid sized city in Alabama, and we have 3G.
        • Dantetheinferno, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I live in a tiny city, and we have 3G (600 people city, yes it is technically a city, used to be smallest in world, yay)
    • floejoe, on 05/14/2008, -0/+5It's my understanding you don't pay for 3G. You pay for "data access" and you are stuck with whichever technology the company is using. So, iPhone costs $100 a month regardless of whether you are on EDGE or 3G. However, as stated in the article there are obvious benefits to consumer when using a 3G and eventually 4G network.

      It's possible AT&T could tier the network just as cable internet companies do so that for $25 you'll get 3 mbits, $50 you'll get 10 mbits and $100 will get you the full 20 mbits.

      As a consumer you should not care about the type of network, the only thing that matters is your speed and cost. If you're getting 20 mbits up and down for $100, its irrelevant whether its DSL, Cable, FIOS, Wifi or 3G or EDGE.
      • MellerTime, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1It's more likely they would take an overall transfer approach. Other cell networks (like Verizon with EVDO), and I think even AT&T's data-only plans are split into increments of xGB /m transfer.
      • SteveMax, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2"it's irrelevant whether its DSL, Cable, FIOS, Wifi or 3G or EDGE."
        Actually, no. Each of those have different characteristics, specifically latency. One can give you 20Mbps up and down with a 200ms roundtime to the backbone while another gives you the same bandwidth with 2ms roundtime to the backbone: the second one would feel much faster for interactive loads. Another obvious difference is mobility, your laptop won't access your DSL when you're on the other side of the city.
        The bottom line is that the technologies are different, and you should examine them to see which one is better for you, taking into account price, features and performance.
      • DanBoodro, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Whoa, I have an iPhone and I'm only paying $60 a month. iPhone automatically comes with unlimited data in whatever plan you get. AT&T's lowest plan is $40/month with the unlimited data package you only pay an extra $20 and you get 400 text messages monthly.
    • Laminarcissus, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1There's no extra cost for 3G speed because they can't guarantee how often you'll have access to it.

      So for data at any speed you'll pay a penny per kilobyte (extremely bad deal) or $19.95 a month over your voice plan for all-you-can-eat (a pretty good deal if you're a heavy user).
    • Sarlac, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I live in Birmingham Alabama and pay $15/mo for unlimited data access. AT&T thinks I'm using a razr, however I am actually using a "cingular 8525" (HTC hermes 100). I use it as a mobile broadband connection for my laptop while at work. They have some double standard that prohibits you from getting the $15/mo unlimited data plan with any "smart phones". This is why I had to tell them I was using the razr. If I were to play by their rules I would be paying $50 for the same service. Screw that.
  • kitaljevich, on 05/14/2008, -3/+24Meh, we'll still be way slower than Asia.
    • santaliqueur, on 05/14/2008, -2/+13It's a vast improvement. Want faster? Move to Asia.
      • wirerat1, on 05/14/2008, -2/+3Go to hell Santa. Kita is only pointing out the fact that we are hamstrung by providers that don't really want to be competitive, especially when they have a monopoly that prevents others from providing another service at a reasonable price.
      • itsthebrod, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1And deal with horrendous overcrowding among other problems. I'll stick with the slower download speeds.
  • johnpaul191, on 05/14/2008, -1/+6"He said the upgrade will require few if any hardware modifications to the company's infrastructure and will instead be a smooth transition achieved largely through a software upgrade to its electronics."

    How about some more towers? I don't care about theoretical peak speeds if it's a nightmare to find any signal. Maybe it's just Philly and NYC, but Verizon seems to stomp AT&T into the ground with coverage.
    • MellerTime, on 05/14/2008, -0/+4Verizon seems to stop AT&T into the ground with *everything*... But you pay for it and get their crappy proprietary VCast-riddled phone software.
  • TheLastFreeMan, on 05/14/2008, -1/+5Why not apply this to Residential connections and get rid of that "U-Verse" TV/Internet bundle crap.
  • carlwalton, on 06/02/2008, -2/+1320Mb theoretical speed or 20Mb actual throughput? If it's 20Mb throughput it'll be damn close (or beating) to 802.11a/g, which I find extremely hard to believe. Put it this way, wireless g has a rating of 54Mb, but you'll never get this speed in the real world. DIFS + PHY + MAC + SIFS, all wrapped in OFDM makes for 20Mb within 6' of a receiver. How can a Wide Area Network match this in a years time?
  • deviationer, on 05/14/2008, -7/+1might be faster but it will still have very bandwidth caps
  • ANorton, on 05/14/2008, -10/+3This is all thanks to Ron Paul.
  • litkaj, on 05/14/2008, -2/+6What good is increased speeds when data access is so damn expensive? How about dropping the prices on data plans? How about removing the data cap of 5GB on USB and Cardbus adapters?
    • nirav72, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Not sure if AT&T has a cap. I know Verizon does have a cap at 5GB/month on their so called "Unlimited" data plans.

      Sprint and Tmobile are the only ones that don't really care how you use your unlimited dataplans.
  • DanBoodro, on 05/14/2008, -1/+2Wow, finally some effort to keep up with the rest of the world. Better late than never.
  • Picer, on 05/14/2008, -3/+5This is like my "20MB broadband" it sounds fast but in reality, I get just under 3MB.
    • kashk5, on 05/14/2008, -1/+23MB/s is still pretty impressive for a mobile device and is equivalent to residential broadband speeds in many areas.
      • Burn, on 05/14/2008, -0/+13MB/s is impressive for an Internet connection, period. 3Mb/s, which is what you probably mean, is fairly average though.
      • kashk5, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1No, I meant 3MB/s. Picer stated that he gets around 3MB/s with an advertised 20Mb/s connection, so we can safely assume 3MB/s is what we'll get with this 3G update.
  • gtlogic, on 05/14/2008, -2/+7According to my calculations, two japanese asahi cans tied by rope still produce 2.4x the bandwidth.
    • badqat, on 05/14/2008, -1/+2Have you tested Asahi Dry?
    • Icetype, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3Damn you guys, now I have to go to the overpriced Asian market and get some Asahi / Kirin tonight.
  • dms105, on 05/14/2008, -1/+16"So upside on further penetration is substantial"

    That's what she said.
  • HankSpankula, on 05/14/2008, -4/+3Wow, cool! Any word on when they will quit having the worst customer service, crappiest copper, and most ignorant technicians?
    • badqat, on 05/14/2008, -0/+8Wait, at&t suddenly became Sprint?
    • itsthebrod, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1Newsflash: you just described every wireless provider in existence.
  • digitallysick, on 05/14/2008, -1/+3Check the 3G coverage map, not many places are covered at all! So 3G won't do me any good
  • Bromskloss, on 05/14/2008, -0/+9"Speaking at the Morgan Stanley's annual Communications Conference, the company's mobility chief Ralph de la Vega said engineers already have a version of AT&T's HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) 3G network up and running in the labs at speeds of 7.2 megabits per second, or approximately double the theoretical throughput of its existing network."
    I am writing this comment on such a connection. Here in Sweden, I pay 200 SEK (34 USD) per month for it.
    • MellerTime, on 05/14/2008, -4/+4Yeah, but you have to live in Sweden... poor bastard.
    • Modestexcuse, on 05/14/2008, -2/+1"...3G network up and running in the labs at speeds of 7.2 megabits per second..." You mean to tell me that you're in their labs, testing the speeds? How much does an engineer of your status make?
  • DeFex, on 05/14/2008, -1/+6See that squadron of flying pigs doing barrel rolls.
  • Barackalypse, on 05/14/2008, -1/+4How unlimited is AT&T's wireless data plan? At 20 Mbps I can download 9 gigabytes an hour and at that rate it takes roughly a day to break what Comcast allows cable modem users to transfer in a month.
    • trghpy, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1I'm living off of it... I transfer 300-350 gb's a month most via torrent.
      I have 9 pages of disconnects, but no pattern of capping.
    • th3heretic, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1No way you have downloaded 300gb off of a wireless connection, even 3g. http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATTs-5GB-Wirele ... I have att and I know for a fact they cut your speed 10 fold if you download too much, if you download more than 10gb they disconnect you (as I found out the hard way) and then charge you the early termination fee...
    • itsthebrod, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1Just as soon as you find a phone with that kind of capacity to store all those downloads, let me know.
  • 1jaxstate1, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1We'll that's therotical speeds. Real life speeds wil be much slower. I live in a 3G area, and the speeds are also inconsistant. Somedays it's 900k, somedays it's 300k. I think they have other issues to fix other than boosting speeds.
  • Aristotlekh, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1I'm seconding the coverage criticism. AT&T needs to focus on letting me be able to flippin' use 3G in the first place, not making it faster for the 7 or 8 people who have 100% full-time access to it.
  • xexx, on 05/14/2008, -1/+3What's the ping time? Gaming ftw...
    • Chandon, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2Not just gaming. Latency is the key factor for a whole bunch of interesting applications (VoiP, video conferencing, even just making the web feel fast).
      • Burn, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1The latency with HSDPA is small enough the you can make SIP based VoIP calls comfortably.
  • seahawkmec, on 05/14/2008, -3/+1I curious about the "AT&T's growth opportunities in the smart phone market given upcoming handsets from Apple and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion". Does this mean that the 3G iPhone is coming soon?
    • badqat, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2Allow me to speak for everyone when I say "DUH!!!"
  • jsuther, on 05/14/2008, -2/+1sorry people, see how it says megaBITS... take the 20 and divide by 8... its 2.5 megabytes per second. Still a welcome increase though. The Verizon card that I've played recently with only gets around 400 kilobytes per second.
  • p51d007, on 05/14/2008, -2/+3boost 3G by 5 times? Hey, how about just GETTING 3G speeds! I keep hearing them tout 3G, but, I'm in the 3rd largest city in the state and don't have access to 3G unless I drive to the state capital. And just south of us is a MAJOR tourist vacation spot, no 3G there either.
    • hayzeus, on 05/14/2008, -0/+5You failed to mention that your state is West Virginia, however.
  • wirerat1, on 05/14/2008, -2/+1Wow, so who are they buying this technology from? Or copying which Asian country infrastructure for this service? Wow, I'm glad we're so "innovative" on the bleeding edge and all that. Yeah.. America?
  • evilpettingzoo, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2Lies!!!!!!!!
  • EKinnee, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3Christ, it would be nice if the existing EDGE/GPRS crap wasn't so slow. We iPhone users already saw a huge speed increase early on, proving that it was artificially limited or they hadn't bothered to upgrade since we were forced to take what they gave us.

    As for the comment about gaming via 3G, hell I already play TF2 via a Sprint EVDO card. Woks fine most of the time!
    • th3heretic, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1I have the Verizon EVDO card, it works great for the most part, it goes on disconnect fits at times, goes out, stays on for about 10min then disconnects. It can get very frustrating. Not to mention on the server (TF2) my mic sounds like crap due to the horrible upload speeds.
    • IveDefected, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Same here. And if the past is any indication, Sprint will be at least one step ahead of ATT.
  • Demistate, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1The article is a little inaccurate. It says that the 20mb will be on the 700mhz band with 4g LTE cards. They just happen to also be backwards compatibile with Current existing 3g Networks. So you'll still have to get a newer phone to achieve those speeds!
  • rikkizenith, on 05/14/2008, -0/+0christ.... meanwhile t-mobile is STILL stuck in the stone age with snail-like EDGE speeds.
    T-mobile's 3g Network has been in plans for years, its becoming the Duke Nukem: Forever of the Cellular world.
  • digjam, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1and why is ATT news on APPLEINSIDER???
    (Thankfully its not filed under Apple section)
  • MaxD, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3In Australia, Telstra provides 14.4Mbps over the air (HSPA), will provide 21Mbps by the end of the year (HSPA+) and is aiming to have 100Mbps in a few years time (LTE). These are all obviously peak speeds (representing throughput as opposed to goodput) and actual realisable speeds will be considerably lower (like 802.11b offers 11Mbps, but you can only download stuff at 6 or 7 Mbps tops). But is still in my opinion pretty neat.
    • Burn, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Except that to be able to afford Telstra you need to sell your firstborn. I'm looking forward to Vodafone and Optus's network upgrades (HSPA across their entire network, not just capital cities).
  • Chandon, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Great. Yet another useless advertisement for downstream-bandwidth-only.

    There are five things that matter here:
    - Downstream bandwidth.
    - Upsteam bandwidth.
    - Latency.
    - Coverage.
    - Availability.

    Unless you're going to tell me at least the first three, I'll just assume that you are offering "laggy websurfing" rather than an internet connection.
  • chrisvanhornnnn, on 05/14/2008, -1/+0VROOOOOM!!!
  • ZzFDKzZ, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Cool, surfing the web with 3G is freaking fast as it is.
  • pak314, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Great. Now I can download my $2 ringtones and wallpaper 5x faster.
  • XZanatos, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Who want to bet they will still keep charging $0.20 per text message?
  • touch0ph, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Rrrrriiiigggggghhhhttttt. Just like USB 2.0 is 20x's faster than USB 1.0.

    I'm sure it will be faster, but never as fast as they claim it will be.
  • tacotruck08, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1Another reason why I WILL be buying the new 3G iPhone WHEN it comes out. Thanks Jobs and Apple and AT&T. YOU GUYS ROCK!
  • XternalHD, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I better sell my iPhone so I can get a 3G one....
  • INDIGLOW, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I will take the no throttling plan please!
  • TranceMist, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1But can they fix their customer service...
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.