AT&T Announces Rollout Plans for 7.2 Mbps 3G Service

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/09/atandt-announces-rollout-plans-for-7-2-mbps-3g-service/)

AT&T today announced (http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=27068) its plans for rolling out 7.2 Mbps 3G data service on its network. Deployment will begin in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, with service in those cities beginning by the end of the year. Service will be extended over the following two years to cover approximately 90% of the current U.S. 3G network area.AT&T plans to begin deployment of HSPA 7.2 in six major U.S. cities, including Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, with initial service availability expected in these markets by the end of the year. All told, the company plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 in 25 of the nation's 30 largest markets by the end of 2010, and to reach about 90 percent of its existing 3G network footprint with HSPA 7.2 by the end of 2011.AT&T announced in late May (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/05/27/atandt-announces-plans-for-7-2-mbps-3g-deployment/) that it would be deploying the technology, which doubles the theoretical speed of its existing 3G network as an interim step toward LTE (4G) offerings scheduled to begin rolling out in 2011.

Apple's iPhone 3GS, released in June, does support (http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2009/07/09/iphone-3gs-upstream-transfers-limited-to-384-kbps/) the faster 7.2 Mbps download speed being deployed, although it is apparently unable to support the faster upload speeds associated with the new standard.

Article Link: AT&T Announces Rollout Plans for 7.2 Mbps 3G Service (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/09/atandt-announces-rollout-plans-for-7-2-mbps-3g-service/)

[jjxc90]

Wow...they've been on a roll lately.

[shareef777]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[kjs862]

Hopefully by the time time ATT's 4G tech roles out the iPhone with be on VZW

[tbobmccoy]

Thanks for nothing, AT&T. Rogers of Canada still has a better wireless service than you clunkers. I never reach the theoretical max speed for my iPhone 3G here in Austin, and now you expect me to believe that your 7.2mbps rollout will be any different? Bah.

Signed,

Waiting for the LTE iPhone

[ethan028]

I hope they bring it to Naperville, IL :o

[overanalyzer]

This seems like good progress, but somehow talking about a technology roll-out that will complete for 2011 when it's technology that we'd like to be utilizing currently, and that the current iPhone supports, seems a bit too late. There will presumably be two more generations of iPhones by then. Will AT&T ever be at the point of having a network that supports the iPhone when it's released instead of months (MMS & tethering) or years (7.2 Mbps 3G) later?

[jav6454]

I hope they bring it to Naperville, IL :o

By 2011 yes, not sooner:rolleyes:

I Hope New Orleans gets it! I believe we are a major city... 3rd largest port in the world and growing.

[CrackedButter]

LOL, no San Francisco. Even me in the UK realise the joke.

[mikejfrd]

I live in Charlotte, so this is good news for me!!!

Yeah hopefully it will be on Verizon by then so I can laugh at all of the "I hate Verizon" threads!!! Hopefully the ADMIN will give you Verizon fanboys your own forum to keep the ATT sucks and the I hate Verizon threads separate. :D;)

[NillaWafer89]

Yay for Charlotte...the 3G speeds here are pretty fast now but 7.2? That'll be nice to have.

[Battlefield Fan]

someone want to explain to me as to why AT&T failed once again? Failed to implement MMS in a timely manor and now they failed to allow their biggest phone seller to take full advantage of the fastest speed.

I cant imagine apple being to happy with AT&T? Verizon seriously would have a chance with the iPhone if they showed they could support MMS for a lot of iPhone users and roll out the latest speed update for its network in a timely manor.

[stagi]

Weak, San Jose should have been first. Cupertino should have strong armed them :)

[rw3]

I bet the upload speed issue can be addressed with a firmware update, I'd almost bet on it. They need to limit it right now, like with MMS, until the upgrade is done.

[mikecap]

And NYC, undoubtedly their biggest market with severe connection problems, gets the shaft. WHEN DOES EXCLUSIVITY END?

[mikejfrd]

This seems like good progress, but somehow talking about a technology roll-out that will complete for 2011 when it's technology that we'd like to be utilizing currently, and that the current iPhone supports, seems a bit too late. There will presumably be two more generations of iPhones by then. Will AT&T ever be at the point of having a network that supports the iPhone when it's released instead of months (MMS & tethering) or years (7.2 Mbps 3G) later?

....and Verizon currently does???? I don't think so!! It's much easier to advance a phones capabilities than it is an entire networks!

[axual]

ATT should not be trusted with their announcements based on history. I've yet to see 3G in my area of 60,000 people even though for the last 2 years, ATT Customer Support and Sales have repeatedly told me it will be available in just 6 more months, or by spring, or by end uf summer (last year).

Hopefully they will stop acquiring other companies and focus on their existing customers.

I am paying $30 for nothing on my new iPhone plan. ATT ... ARE YOU LISTENING?

[iMJustAGuy]

I live in Pensacola FL and my 3g on the 3gs is super fast. Basically seems like wifi speed at most places around here. And I downloaded this continuous mix from iTunes the oter day and it took about 4 minutes I think the file was 110mb...? That is crazy. My new laptop would not even have downloaded it that fast. I am very happy with 3g around here. I wish I could get reception in the hospital though. Good thing we have wifi!

[jclardy]

Well I wish they were doing it in Raleigh this year, but I visit Charlotte every now and then so it will be nice to see the speed difference.

[Shasterball]

Good thing Charlotte is getting it because us New Yorkers don't need it at all. :rolleyes:

[aristobrat]

Good thing Charlotte is getting it because us New Yorkers don't need it at all. :rolleyes:
I think AT&T should fix New York so that it gets basic, reliable 3G speeds before it tries to tweak the currently broken network up to 7.2Mpbs. :rolleyes:

[carlgo]

ATT should not be trusted with their announcements based on history. I've yet to see 3G in my area of 60,000 people even though for the last 2 years, ATT Customer Support and Sales have repeatedly told me it will be available in just 6 more months, or by spring, or by end uf summer (last year).

Hopefully they will stop acquiring other companies and focus on their existing customers.

I am paying $30 for nothing on my new iPhone plan. ATT ... ARE YOU LISTENING?

That's free money for them. All they have to do is upgrade, belatedly, a few urban centers and promise that in only a few year's time some of the rest of us will get the service that by then will be obsolete. Not a bad way to make a living.

Are cell towers simply not the answer?

[overanalyzer]

....and Verizon currently does???? I don't think so!! It's much easier to advance a phones capabilities than it is an entire networks!

Perhaps not, but Verizon is working on deploying 60 Mbps LTE this year, and plans comparable coverage for 2010 for LTE to what AT&T plans for 7.2 Mbps. It just seems like AT&T is still playing catch up at the moment.

EDIT: And I'm not a particularly unhappy AT&T customer, by the way, nor am I a particularly big fan of Verizon. I'm just lamenting the lag in US carrier deployment of technology, and it seems like AT&T is having a particularly hard time keeping up at the moment, though I do think they are making valiant efforts to improve.

[the-oz-man]

AT&T = late (again) and fail!!!

[macintoshtoffy]

Nice to see once again the US mobile network 3-4 years behind the rest of the world even though it is the richest nation on earth.

[acidfast7]

US late = fail

7.2Mb/s ... are you serious?!?

[mattster16]

Is that all anyone does is b***h about at&t? No matter what they do you people complain. In order to make you happy it seems like at&t should be rolling out a 5G network to get ready for the 2013 iPhone model right about now.

The popularity of the iPhone and the amount of data iPhone users consume is unprecedented. at&t is spending billions of $$'s to keep up. You're talking about a cell phone network covering the entire united states with thousands of towers that need to be constantly upgraded and maintained.

I have been nothing but happy with at&t, their pricing and service are on par or better than every other company I've used. I can't say the same for when I had Verizon. Service was crap with them! At least in Minneapolis at&t is great, I have consistently fast data speeds and have never had a dropped call or trouble making a call (even several floors underground indoors).

"The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category." Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/15/atandts-3g-comes-out-on-top-in-speed-tests-will-only-get-faster/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9083559/Review_Which_3G_network_is_the_best_?taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_feat&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless

[azboricua]

What about PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: Bunch of effers:(

In Texas they'll do Houston and Dallas but no, no Phoenix.:(

Ahem Ahem, the numbers: lol

With the July 1, 2006 estimates, Phoenix replaced Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in the United States.

1. New York, New York - 8,214,426
2. Los Angeles, California - 3,849,378
3. Chicago, Illinois - 2,833,321
4. Houston, Texas - 2,144,491
5. Phoenix, Arizona - 1,512,986
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1,448,394
7. San Antonio, Texas - 1,296,682
8. San Diego, California - 1,256,951
9. Dallas, Texas - 1,232,940
10. San Jose, California - 929,936
11. Detroit, Michigan - 871,121
12. Jacksonville, Florida - 794,555
13. Indianapolis, Indiana - 785,597
14. San Francisco, California - 744,041
15. Columbus, Ohio - 733,203
16. Austin, Texas - 709,893
17. Memphis, Tennessee - 670,902
18. Fort Worth, Texas - 653,320
19. Baltimore, Maryland - 631,366
20. Charlotte, North Carolina - 630,478

from About.com Link to Source (http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/20citiesus.htm)

[petertogel]

I wish AT&T would start rolling out 3G in Anderson, SC. They do not even have the slow 3G here yet....

[vitrector]

...in the future we will......blah blah

and I will start eating only healthy food, say, beginning at the end of the year.

just sayin'

[AreYouIn?]

Well I wish they were doing it in Raleigh this year, but I visit Charlotte every now and then so it will be nice to see the speed difference.

Raleigh? What about us here in Wilmington! We still don't have 3g!

[foshizzle]

this is nice and all, but.....

Have you ever taken a road trip from West Palm Beach, FL to Atlanta, GA? Well, as soon as you exit north Palm Beach 3G is gone. It comes back in Daytona for a brief period, then is never seen again until Atlanta. Heck, the Florida Keys have more 3G coverage than anywhere in south Georgia.

Then take a road trip around North/South Carolina, and it'll be about the same. EDGE only, no matter where you go. And not even more bars of it either.

That is ridiculous. On my iPhone I can deal, but when I take out my laptop and my Laptop Connect card, EDGE browsing is impossible. ATT needs to step it up and really give "more bars in more places" even on EDGE. There are some pretty heavily populated places stuck on EDGE while ATT is taking their money and running. What do they do with it anyway? I agree, they need to speed up 3G in larger cities, but please, start rolling it out in the smaller ones as well.

[brendon2020]

i'll be happy when i see it.

[MrShoehorn]

Perhaps AT&T should get 3G coverage in over 80% of the US, stop making me pay for data speeds I can't use and then move on to faster services.

~ Shoe

[joeconvert]

What about PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: Bunch of effers:(

In Texas they'll do Houston and Dallas but no, no Phoenix.:(

Ahem Ahem, the numbers: lol

With the July 1, 2006 estimates, Phoenix replaced Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in the United States.

1. New York, New York - 8,214,426
2. Los Angeles, California - 3,849,378
3. Chicago, Illinois - 2,833,321
4. Houston, Texas - 2,144,491
5. Phoenix, Arizona - 1,512,986
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1,448,394
7. San Antonio, Texas - 1,296,682
8. San Diego, California - 1,256,951
9. Dallas, Texas - 1,232,940
10. San Jose, California - 929,936
11. Detroit, Michigan - 871,121
12. Jacksonville, Florida - 794,555
13. Indianapolis, Indiana - 785,597
14. San Francisco, California - 744,041
15. Columbus, Ohio - 733,203
16. Austin, Texas - 709,893
17. Memphis, Tennessee - 670,902
18. Fort Worth, Texas - 653,320
19. Baltimore, Maryland - 631,366
20. Charlotte, North Carolina - 630,478

from About.com Link to Source (http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/20citiesus.htm)

That doesn't address the metroplex counts. Dallas has a number of suburbs with greater than 200k people. The major population centers in Texas are around Houston and Dallas - the second most populous state in the Union. Pretty sure AT&T has this figured out.

[vitrector]

Is that all anyone does is b***h about at&t? No matter what they do you people complain. In order to make you happy it seems like at&t should be rolling out a 5G network to get ready for the 2013 iPhone model right about now.

The popularity of the iPhone and the amount of data iPhone users consume is unprecedented. at&t is spending billions of $$'s to keep up. You're talking about a cell phone network covering the entire united states with thousands of towers that need to be constantly upgraded and maintained.

I have been nothing but happy with at&t, their pricing and service are on par or better than every other company I've used. I can't say the same for when I had Verizon. Service was crap with them! At least in Minneapolis at&t is great, I have consistently fast data speeds and have never had a dropped call or trouble making a call (even several floors underground indoors).

"The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category." Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/15/atandts-3g-comes-out-on-top-in-speed-tests-will-only-get-faster/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9083559/Review_Which_3G_network_is_the_best_?taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_feat&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless

and there are >298 million folks not living in the Minneapolis area, and >299.7 million not living in Minneapolis proper.
I'm happy for you, but I can tell you LA is not as fortunate, and UCLA Medical Center, which employs largely what might be the iPhone demographic, is worthless with regard to ATT coverage. No calls in or out with any reliability, and data, forget it...

[err404]

Cell service is very location dependent. I live in central NJ and have been on ATT for several years. For most of this time ATT was as good or better then VZ in this area with more reliable coverage and faster performance. However in the last few months the performance has been worsening. Presumably due to the 3GS launch overwhelming there network (poor planning by ATT). Assuming they get this fixed soon, I would not change to VZ if given the option.
My point being that ATT is generally quite good on the North East.
I think media perception of ATT being poor is at least partially due to the West Cost, where it seems most of the technical news journalists are based. I was recently in Cali traveling the cost from SF to SD and found that the ATT Cell service was boarding on unusable for much of the trip.
Also it seems that the iPhone is many peoples first experience with ATT. I hate to say it, but as a phone handset, the iPhone is average at best.

[VenusianSky]

Perhaps not, but Verizon is working on deploying 60 Mbps LTE this year, and plans comparable coverage for 2010 for LTE to what AT&T plans for 7.2 Mbps. It just seems like AT&T is still playing catch up at the moment.


Pipe dreams. I pay $45/month for Comcast wired internet at ~16Mbps. Comcast highest package is 50Mbps at $100/month. So how much would a wireless service, such as 4G, cost per month at speeds of 60Mbps? Plus, Verizon only demonstrated speeds of 60Mbps. That won't be the actual consumer speeds. Supposedly 3G can go much faster than 7Mbps, but we will never see that.

[Xavier]

Hopefully by the time time ATT's 4G tech roles out the iPhone with be on VZW

Don't hold your breath

[mattster16]

What about PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: Bunch of effers:(

In Texas they'll do Houston and Dallas but no, no Phoenix.:(

Ahem Ahem, the numbers: lol

With the July 1, 2006 estimates, Phoenix replaced Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in the United States.

1. New York, New York - 8,214,426
2. Los Angeles, California - 3,849,378
3. Chicago, Illinois - 2,833,321
4. Houston, Texas - 2,144,491
5. Phoenix, Arizona - 1,512,986
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1,448,394
7. San Antonio, Texas - 1,296,682
8. San Diego, California - 1,256,951
9. Dallas, Texas - 1,232,940
10. San Jose, California - 929,936
11. Detroit, Michigan - 871,121
12. Jacksonville, Florida - 794,555
13. Indianapolis, Indiana - 785,597
14. San Francisco, California - 744,041
15. Columbus, Ohio - 733,203
16. Austin, Texas - 709,893
17. Memphis, Tennessee - 670,902
18. Fort Worth, Texas - 653,320
19. Baltimore, Maryland - 631,366
20. Charlotte, North Carolina - 630,478

from About.com Link to Source (http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/20citiesus.htm)

Those are individual city populations, but the Phoenix area is only the 12th largest metro area. It all depends on how an area is configured. Some have one large city, some have tons of little suburbs but the population of the 'main' city is relatively small. The Philadelphia area has 5.8 million people and the Phoenix area has 4.2 million.

[Rootus]

By 2011 yes, not sooner:rolleyes:

I Hope New Orleans gets it! I believe we are a major city... 3rd largest port in the world and growing. You have a curious definition of '3rd largest port in the world.' New Orleans isn't even the biggest port in the state of Louisiana.

[dlewis23]

this is nice and all, but.....

Have you ever taken a road trip from West Palm Beach, FL to Atlanta, GA? Well, as soon as you exit north Palm Beach 3G is gone. It comes back in Daytona for a brief period, then is never seen again until Atlanta. Heck, the Florida Keys have more 3G coverage than anywhere in south Georgia.



That not true. I Live in boca and go up to Port ST. Lucie all the time, and 3G works all the way up to there. Most of the populated areas of florida have 100% 3G coverage. I have gone all the way up to orlando with 3G 100% of the way. 3G even works in through Ocala to Gainesville. About 20 miles after Gainesville is when it starts to get spotty. Then its gone before the georgia border. You get it back like 20 Min before reaching Atlanta.

[PezRadar]

Hooray for once living next to Att headquarters actually pays off since Dallas is in that first rollout group :)

[SFStateStudent]

I guess we have it so good that we don't need no stinkin' upgrade.....:mad:

[bella92108]

Guys... June 17th AT&T Said "By end of Summer, you'll use MMS on AT&T"... so we all did the math, June 17 - Sept 20 (last day of summer) we figured to be 93 days... AT&T now will deliver September 25, 5 days over schedule, or 5% for all intensive purposes.

So today's announcement is that the major markets will be 3G by 2011 means 840 days to meet the deadline, and add their 5%, you can all sleep well knowing by March 1, 2012 you'll all be able to use your 3.5 year old iPhones, haha...

Yeah, it's sad, real sad, but the reality of it is in this country it's our backwards political system that prohibits companies like AT&T from throwing up a tower. In China, they do things "for the good of the people"... but in the US, they only do things that are good for everyone, so if there's a block of 5000 people in SF that can't get reception in their home, and 1 person who's a hippie and doesn't want "government cancerous air waves in their neighborhood" they go to planning and zoning commission meetings and fight all day about the negative impact, and make it costly and a pain for things to get done that truly are "for the good of the masses" ... same reason why they can't extend the airport at SFO... we've become ultra soft-touch as a country, and other nations walk all over us now because while they progress, we let the 1/10th of 1% stop us from what's doing what's good for the general public. When parents won't let their kids watch the president of this country wish the kids a welcome back to school saying he's trying to brainwash them with socialist agenda, we're failing... and it makes me sad to be growing up in a time like this.

[michael.lauden]

cool so the time 4G is around there will be an iPhone 4Gs

[PezRadar]

What about PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: Bunch of effers:(

In Texas they'll do Houston and Dallas but no, no Phoenix.:(

Ahem Ahem, the numbers: lol

With the July 1, 2006 estimates, Phoenix replaced Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in the United States.

1. New York, New York - 8,214,426
2. Los Angeles, California - 3,849,378
3. Chicago, Illinois - 2,833,321
4. Houston, Texas - 2,144,491
5. Phoenix, Arizona - 1,512,986
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1,448,394
7. San Antonio, Texas - 1,296,682
8. San Diego, California - 1,256,951
9. Dallas, Texas - 1,232,940
10. San Jose, California - 929,936
11. Detroit, Michigan - 871,121
12. Jacksonville, Florida - 794,555
13. Indianapolis, Indiana - 785,597
14. San Francisco, California - 744,041
15. Columbus, Ohio - 733,203
16. Austin, Texas - 709,893
17. Memphis, Tennessee - 670,902
18. Fort Worth, Texas - 653,320
19. Baltimore, Maryland - 631,366
20. Charlotte, North Carolina - 630,478

from About.com Link to Source (http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/20citiesus.htm)

Phoenix? Are you serious? How can you complain that Dallas gets it before you. Freaking ATT world headquarters are located here. Not to mention Dallas has one of the largest populations in the US of you count the cities around which will be included in this upgrade. Dallas and Ft Worth and all the suburbs put it way above the Phoenix area and suburbs in population. Dallas is actually a pretty lightly populated city. The suburbs is what makes DFW so big.

[mattster16]

and there are >298 million folks not living in the Minneapolis area, and >299.7 million not living in Minneapolis proper.
I'm happy for you, but I can tell you LA is not as fortunate, and UCLA Medical Center, which employs largely what might be the iPhone demographic, is worthless with regard to ATT coverage. No calls in or out with any reliability, and data, forget it...

Well I'm sorry to hear that, I have not had a chance to use my iPhone in LA yet. All these people complaining about New York though I do not understand. I was just there for several days for work and service seemed just fine everywhere I went. I know there are legitimate concerns with at&t (including yours), but I have a strong feeling a lot of people are just jumping on the "at&t sucks, I can't wait for Verizon!" bandwagon. Verizon isn't going to be any better people...

[sanity]

Here's some metro area sizes from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas

[erucolindo]

How can AT&T get away with things like this?

I live in Sweden and here we got 14,4 Mbit/s 3G in 90% of the country. In central parts of Stockholm, the first LTE network is already up and running.

This is while paying 199 SEK (about 25 USD) for unlimited data (with full speed up to 5GB, and throttled after that, but no higher cost.). And that includes tethering.

What gives?

[marco114]

it would be nice if they focused on all the dropped calls I get and get 3G to a wider audience... right now, i am lucky to get 3g in my area at all... only a few spots have it and many of the areas are totally unpopulated... insane.

[Razeus]

Wow. Houston made the first round cut. COOL. We usually are last in line for some god forsaken reason while Dallas gets all the love. I don't have a problem with 3G in Houston so this will be even better. Especially since they announced last week they just doubled capacity in my area. And by the end of the year?? Makes my 3GS purchase even more worthwhile!:D

[1Zach1]

I'm guessing Vermont will be in that 10% since we still don't have 3G.

[jweinraub]

And NYC, undoubtedly their biggest market with severe connection problems, gets the shaft. WHEN DOES EXCLUSIVITY END?

I tend not to comment often here, but I did so today to say exactly this. I don't even get 3G in NYC, just measly EDGE! WTF, I can get cell service in some subway stations but I can't get 3G on the surface??????? :mad:

[flapperdink]

Raleigh? What about us here in Wilmington! We still don't have 3g!

seriously. the EDGE network is killing me.

[Chupa Chupa]

this is nice and all, but.....

Heck, the Florida Keys have more 3G coverage than anywhere in south Georgia.




That is because cows can barely spell, let alone use a phone. Why would they need 3G?

http://veiltales.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/chick-fil-a-cows.jpg

[jaw04005]

How can AT&T get away with things like this?

I live in Sweden and here we got 14,4 Mbit/s 3G in 90% of the country. In central parts of Stockholm, the first LTE network is already up and running.

This is while paying 199 SEK (about 25 USD) for unlimited data (with full speed up to 5GB, and throttled after that, but no higher cost.). And that includes tethering.

What gives?

Geography. You're about the size of one of our 50 states, California, in terms of land mass.

[VenusianSky]

How can AT&T get away with things like this?

I live in Sweden and here we got 14,4 Mbit/s 3G in 90% of the country. In central parts of Stockholm, the first LTE network is already up and running.

This is while paying 199 SEK (about 25 USD) for unlimited data (with full speed up to 5GB, and throttled after that, but no higher cost.). And that includes tethering.

What gives?

Congratulations, you live in a country with about .33 the population and .05 land area.

[theMaccer]

By 2011 yes, not sooner:rolleyes:

You are correct. This year is definitely not Sooners' year.

[Maverick1337]

I'm a little confused, but does the iPhone 3G support these faster 7.2 mbps speeds?

[aduzik]

Criminey, Des Moines got 3G less than a year ago. I'm guessing it's going to be well after the end of 2011 before we get faster service here. This isn't even a new technology; it's just an update to an existing technology. Unless I've been misled, AT&T needs to do two things: improve the data connections to the cell towers themselves (which, I'll agree, is not a trivial or inexpensive task) and flip a switch that says "3.6Mbps/7.2Mbps".

But this is still much, much easier than, say, rolling out an LTE network. If it takes them this long just to run new data lines out to their cell towers, imagine how long it's going to be before they roll out a brand new network to a place like Des Moines.

[co.ag.2005]

Is that all anyone does is b***h about at&t? No matter what they do you people complain. In order to make you happy it seems like at&t should be rolling out a 5G network to get ready for the 2013 iPhone model right about now.

The popularity of the iPhone and the amount of data iPhone users consume is unprecedented. at&t is spending billions of $$'s to keep up. You're talking about a cell phone network covering the entire united states with thousands of towers that need to be constantly upgraded and maintained.

I have been nothing but happy with at&t, their pricing and service are on par or better than every other company I've used. I can't say the same for when I had Verizon. Service was crap with them! At least in Minneapolis at&t is great, I have consistently fast data speeds and have never had a dropped call or trouble making a call (even several floors underground indoors).

"The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category." Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/15/atandts-3g-comes-out-on-top-in-speed-tests-will-only-get-faster/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9083559/Review_Which_3G_network_is_the_best_?taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_feat&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless

+1... things are fantastic here in Denver (which is Verizon country, btw. I get better service on my iPhone than most of my friends do that are on Verizon)(of course, that could be a competition thing)

and there are >298 million folks not living in the Minneapolis area, and >299.7 million not living in Minneapolis proper.
I'm happy for you, but I can tell you LA is not as fortunate, and UCLA Medical Center, which employs largely what might be the iPhone demographic, is worthless with regard to ATT coverage. No calls in or out with any reliability, and data, forget it...

If ATT sucks for you, go to another cell provider.. geez, you have options.

[Bjohnson33]

I'm guessing Vermont will be in that 10% since we still don't have 3G.

Ouch - that's pretty bad.

[Tom359]

That doesn't address the metroplex counts. Dallas has a number of suburbs with greater than 200k people. The major population centers in Texas are around Houston and Dallas - the second most populous state in the Union. Pretty sure AT&T has this figured out.

1) New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA - 21,976,224
2) Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA - 17,775,984
3) Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI - 9,725,317
4) Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV - 8,211,213
5) Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-RI-NH - 7,465,634
6) San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA - 7,228,948
7) Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD - 6,382,714
8) Dallas-Fort Worth, TX - 6,359,758
9) Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX - 5,641,077
10) Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL - 5,478,667
11) Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL - 5,463,857
12) Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI - 5,410,014
13) Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ - 4,039,182
14) Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA - 3,876,211
15) Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI - 3,502,891
16) Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO - 2,927,911
17) San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA - 2,941,454
18) Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH - 2,917,801
19) St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL - 2,858,549
20) Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL - 2,697,731
21) Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA - 2,462,571
22) Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Truckee, CA-NV - 2,211,790
23) Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC - 2,191,604
24) Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA - 2,137,565
25) Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN - 2,147,617
26) Orlando-The Villages, FL - 2,053,623
27) Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS - 2,034,796
28) Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN - 1,984,644
29) Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH - 1,953,575
30) San Antonio, TX - 1,942,217

I live in the Denver-Boulder area, and would greatly appriciate it if we could just get our 3g speeds/coverage up to par.

[acidfast7]

Congratulations, you live in a country with about .33 the population and .05 land area.

I've made this argument before and I'll make it again. We already have 160Mb/s LTE in some parts of Stockholm and the whole country (98%+, there are some water-based dead spots) is 3G and the size of California.

If California has 35 million people, why can't they do it? That's 4x the population density.

I guess I don't understand your argument.

[KindredMAC]

Please bare with an original iPhone user...

Are you telling me that the [S] in iPhone 3G[S] stands for "Same Old Speed as the iPhone 3G"?

I thought AT&T already had the 7.2 3G network available major metro regions when the 3G[S] launched?!?!?!?!?

Wow..... can't wait to hear all the lawsuits that are gonna pop up because of false advertising.

[Xenu007]

Who cares how fast it is if you still get dropped calls and "Enterprise" service in areas where you're supposed to get high speed service.

AT&T's Swiss cheese coverage has got to go!

[NightStorm]

I'm guessing Vermont will be in that 10% since we still don't have 3G.

AT&T has already announced 3G is coming to Vermont later this year... there was a posting on the Killington restort website regarding it. I'd say they are making pretty good progress considering their service wasn't available a year or so ago.

[NoExpectations]

This seems like good progress, but somehow talking about a technology roll-out that will complete for 2011 when it's technology that we'd like to be utilizing currently, and that the current iPhone supports, seems a bit too late. There will presumably be two more generations of iPhones by then. Will AT&T ever be at the point of having a network that supports the iPhone when it's released instead of months (MMS & tethering) or years (7.2 Mbps 3G) later?

End computing devices are always ahead of (and faster) than the networks that they are attached too.....this is true for PCs as well. Network upgrades are slow....they are very costly and time consuming. Ask anyone who work s for a med-large company....the network is always the choke point.

[co.ag.2005]

...AT&T's Swiss cheese coverage has got to go!

NEWS FLASH: every cell network in the US has Swiss cheese coverage! :eek:

[Ted13]

And NYC, undoubtedly their biggest market with severe connection problems, gets the shaft. WHEN DOES EXCLUSIVITY END?
Not only is it the biggest market but it is where the PRESS is, and along with SF where the highest concentration of iPhones is.

AT&T is either totally obtuse or incompetent. They are guaranteeing themselves continued bad press, and a very large concentration of iPhone users who will be eager to switch as soon as exclusivity ends.

[Ted13]

End computing devices are always ahead of (and faster) than the networks that they are attached too.....this is true for PCs as well. Network upgrades are slow....they are very costly and time consuming. Ask anyone who work s for a med-large company....the network is always the choke point.
Not in Italy, for instance. I was just there, they have a nationwide (and I do mean *nationwide* unlike every US carrier) 7.2 Mbps network. It flies on the iPhone.

[NoExpectations]

I think AT&T should fix New York so that it gets basic, reliable 3G speeds before it tries to tweak the currently broken network up to 7.2Mpbs. :rolleyes:

As with any wireless carrier, it depends on where you live. Here in the Midwest (Chicago), I have no complaints. However, every carrier has dropped calls. A wireless device is a complex radio that receives signals over the airwaves. If you area has any tall buildings, hills, or trees (that about covers the entire US), then the signals can be blocked. Even a passing semi-trailer on the highway can/will drop a call.

Everyone who is complaining about their 3G coverage, let me ask you this: You had 30 days to test it out and return the iPhone if you did not like the service.....why did you keep it?

[err404]

Are you telling me that the [S] in iPhone 3G[S] stands for "Same Old Speed as the iPhone 3G"?
The 'S' is for the faster CPU and additional RAM. It's really is quite a bit faster. The CPU and RAM also make web browsing much faster.

[axer940]

ATT should focus on getting those of us who bought the 3g phones access to the 3g network. Get everybody off of the Edge network first guys. I live in a fairly populated town and its frustrating to hear that all of these people are getting faster 3g when ATT will not give us basic 3g.

[crackbookpro]

I think AT&T should fix New York so that it gets basic, reliable 3G speeds before it tries to tweak the currently broken network up to 7.2Mpbs. :rolleyes:

...could not agree more ;)

[IBradMac]

Yay for Charlotte...the 3G speeds here are pretty fast now but 7.2? That'll be nice to have.

By 2011..

Don't count your chickens.

[Uabcar]

I hope this means that they will consider unlocking data hungry apps like Slingbox over 3g.

[NoExpectations]

...could not agree more ;)

By speeding up 3G where it is at today, it will help everyone in that area.

[carmenodie]

give me credit for getting this new stuff into Miami.
What did I do? I sent out some ninjas to the at&t office last week and had them give the big wigs the scare of their life.
You're welcome!!!!!

[Michael73]

With the July 1, 2006 estimates, Phoenix replaced Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in the United States.

1. New York, New York - 8,214,426
2. Los Angeles, California - 3,849,378
3. Chicago, Illinois - 2,833,321
4. Houston, Texas - 2,144,491
5. Phoenix, Arizona - 1,512,986
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1,448,394
7. San Antonio, Texas - 1,296,682
8. San Diego, California - 1,256,951
9. Dallas, Texas - 1,232,940
10. San Jose, California - 929,936
11. Detroit, Michigan - 871,121
12. Jacksonville, Florida - 794,555
13. Indianapolis, Indiana - 785,597
14. San Francisco, California - 744,041
15. Columbus, Ohio - 733,203
16. Austin, Texas - 709,893
17. Memphis, Tennessee - 670,902
18. Fort Worth, Texas - 653,320
19. Baltimore, Maryland - 631,366
20. Charlotte, North Carolina - 630,478

from About.com Link to Source (http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/20citiesus.htm)

This certainly doesn't count suburbs and the greater metro area. I live in Indianapolis (#13) where the city is defined by the boundaries of the county. Add in the suburbs that surround the county lines and watch that number more than double. In fact, the US Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/Single/2003/ACS/Narrative/380/NP38000US3480.htm) lists Indianapolis' MSA at more than 1.7M that was back in 2006.

I remember hearing back in the spring that the 3GS had a chipset capable of taking advantage of 3.5G speeds and have to believe that the upload speed issue is software not hardware related. I knew investing in the 3GS was investing in a device that had a longer shelf life than previous iPhone generations. :)

[Mattie Num Nums]

Yeah because Verizon has no drops spots and blinding fast data speeds everywhere.

Ladies and gentleman... as long as you live in the USA you're cell coverage will be crap. You can thank the government for that.

[53buick]

Good thing Charlotte is getting it because us New Yorkers don't need it at all. :rolleyes:

? because NYC is more important than Charlotte?

[e-coli]

But not in NYC, their biggest market.

Thanks. Great move.

[danielchow]

I've made this argument before and I'll make it again. We already have 160Mb/s LTE in some parts of Stockholm and the whole country (98%+, there are some water-based dead spots) is 3G and the size of California.

If California has 35 million people, why can't they do it? That's 4x the population density.

I guess I don't understand your argument.

it baffles me too. if a provider in stockholm can provide this speed for less than what ATT charges, it begs the question: why can't ATT provide the same level of service for similar rates as Stockholm.

my friend in japan pays less than 40$ per month for his wired internet at 40mb up and downstream. when he told me this, i had the same response: gee, what gives? are providers in the US technologically backwards, cheapskates, clueless, shortsighted or all of the above?

[YoGramMamma]

while this is good news to me since I live in Charlotte and am making a move soon to Los Angeles... I'll believe it when I see it.

AT&T is ABYSMAL in Charlotte at the moment. I have on average less bars, than more bars showing on my phone and it doesn't work in my house which is <10 miles from the dead center of one of the fastest growing cities in the country. I can take a map and draw out glaringly annoying dead spots that run right on 277 (the small loop that loops around downtown) and on I-77 which is the main vein through town. So every time I see a "more bars in more places" billboard I want to punch someone smaller than me and not feel bad about it. Its not smart to plaster those signs everywhere in a place that you have piss poor service in. 3G just completely stopped working for like a week and a half just a few weeks ago. I wouldn't have known since I keep my phone on EDGE mostly for the more reliable service and battery savings, until about 10 of my iPhone toting friends kept asking me if I was having data connection issues. I flicked the 3G back on to find that I couldnt pull data whatsoever. Not good. (end rant)

BOO hoo, i know right. everyone's got the same stories (with notable exceptions from those who praise AT&T who live in FLorida). I'll buy that 7.2mbps when I see it. And IF i do see it before years end... i'll feel slightly less raped by that company than I do now. But only very slightly.

[CubusX]

I don't have high hopes for this news. They send it should begin by the end of the year. If it's anything like the MMS for the iphone it will be the beginning of next year.

As for the 2011 it will most likely be 2012.

I think it's too late for AT&T to address the issue the users have been having.

[bella92108]

it baffles me too. if a provider in stockholm can provide this speed for less than what ATT charges, it begs the question: why can't ATT provide the same level of service for similar rates as Stockholm.

my friend in japan pays less than 40$ per month for his wired internet at 40mb up and downstream. when he told me this, i had the same response: gee, what gives? are providers in the US backwards, cheapskates, clueless, shortsighted or all of the above?

Same reason Ford makes a car in Detroit and sells for $20k at a loss, whereas Toyota makes a car in Japan and sells for $20k at a 25% profit. Union labor destroys our ability to compete with any other nation. When we're paying a guy $100k to climb a pole and cross connect a wire, yet in sweeden they have to charge someone for that ridiculousness... Unions control AT&T and Verizon, which ultimately supply the backhaul to all US carriers so everyone bears the burdon. Sad Sad Sad...

[Eric8199]

How about upgrading existing edge to 3g before putting us even further behind? Time for AT&T to get its crap together, because I'd say a large number of their customers are there because they have to be. If they had another option, they'd jump ship. I hate Verizon with a passion, but if an iPhone on Verizon meant I could have 3G speeds on my iPhone in the areas that I spend 99.999% of my time in, rather than Edge, I'd switch in a heartbeat. I'd pay full price for an iPhone if it meant I could have 3G where I live, or closer than two hours away.

I hate Verizon's customer service, but their network kicks AT&T's A$$.

[acidfast7]

Same reason Ford makes a car in Detroit and sells for $20k at a loss, whereas Toyota makes a car in Japan and sells for $20k at a 25% profit. Union labor destroys our ability to compete with any other nation. When we're paying a guy $100k to climb a pole and cross connect a wire, yet in sweeden they have to charge someone for that ridiculousness... Unions control AT&T and Verizon, which ultimately supply the backhaul to all US carriers so everyone bears the burdon. Sad Sad Sad...

actually, your argument brings up something that I've noticed while living in Scandinavia ... quality is king and cost is irrelevant, while in the US, cost is king.

people here don't mind paying hugely expensive prices IF the quality is high, which pushes up both the cost and the quality. the crappiest item available is much higher quality than in the US (can't get a pair of jeans for less than 60USD and Levis usually run 100-150). also, Swedes really invest in very high quality infrastructure ... beautiful subway system ... even though it's 40 SEK (6.5 USD) for a single round trip fare.

it's funny. i've changed a lot from living here, and I'm not looking forward to moving to Frankfurt :(

[axual]

Many of the complaints are valid ... ATT has a history of saying one thing and then not delivering, or poorly executing what they do deploy.

By many accounts measurable, ATT is behind and catching up. They are an old company trying to compete in new world, so it's not easy. They were frankly lucky to have been chosen by Apple to be the exclusive carrier, and as such, are being held to a higher standard.

It doesn't matter how much they spend ... it has to work for customers. Every carrier spends billions of dollars, and every carrier makes billions in profit. That's no excuse.

I live in an area with 60,000 people with several large companies (including the world headquarters of a multi-billion dollar global manufacturer). No 3G, let alone a faster 3G. Verizon and Sprint has had 3G here for a long time, and ATT has told me repeatedly 3G will be turned on for the last 2 years.

Hard to be trusting of ATT until they actually deliver.

Is that all anyone does is b***h about at&t? No matter what they do you people complain. In order to make you happy it seems like at&t should be rolling out a 5G network to get ready for the 2013 iPhone model right about now.

The popularity of the iPhone and the amount of data iPhone users consume is unprecedented. at&t is spending billions of $$'s to keep up. You're talking about a cell phone network covering the entire united states with thousands of towers that need to be constantly upgraded and maintained.

I have been nothing but happy with at&t, their pricing and service are on par or better than every other company I've used. I can't say the same for when I had Verizon. Service was crap with them! At least in Minneapolis at&t is great, I have consistently fast data speeds and have never had a dropped call or trouble making a call (even several floors underground indoors).

"The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category." Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/15/atandts-3g-comes-out-on-top-in-speed-tests-will-only-get-faster/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9083559/Review_Which_3G_network_is_the_best_?taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_feat&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless

[bella92108]

actually, your argument brings up something that I've noticed while living in Scandinavia ... quality is king and cost is irrelevant, while in the US, cost is king.

people here don't mind paying hugely expensive prices IF the quality is high, which pushes up both the cost and the quality. the crappiest item available is much higher quality than in the US (can't get a pair of jeans for less than 60USD and Levis usually run 100-150). also, Swedes really invest in very high quality infrastructure ... beautiful subway system ... even though it's 40 SEK (6.5 USD) for a single round trip fare.

it's funny. i've changed a lot from living here, and I'm not looking forward to moving to Frankfurt :(

Really? Levis at Macy's here are $30-$40 USD, now I see why the tourists take suitcases home. And to go round trip on our underground (SF) costs up to $8.60 USD.... so not sure how your comments are relevant. And not sure Scandinavia is exactly the pinnacle of world admiration, tourism, or economy.

[vivithemage]

It seems every post turns into a "I wish the iPhone was on Verizon/T-Mobile/etc" ... it's getting old. You have no say in what carrier Apples chooses to tie themselves to, so live with AT&T. My AT&T service has been great, 3G speeds have been amazing. The only issue I really have with AT&T is the cost, but it's tolerable.

[antzzz]

Argh! I can't believe you guys are excited about 7.2 Mbps, here in Australia, Telstra have had 21 Mbps since April 2009 over ALL of their 850MHz 'Next G' network.

They've also got coverage at something like 99% of the population - which is crazy! Considering how low our population density is for 20 million people.

I think Vodafone and Singtel/Optus of here have their 900 MHz networks at about 96% or 98% population coverage and at 14 Mbps.

Why is the US so far behind on this one???

[designext]

We would gladly settle for regular ole' 3G down here in St. Augustine, Florida. Works great just north in Jacksonville, but no go from St. Augustine to Daytona.

[vitrector]

How can AT&T get away with things like this?

I live in Sweden and here we got 14,4 Mbit/s 3G in 90% of the country. In central parts of Stockholm, the first LTE network is already up and running.

This is while paying 199 SEK (about 25 USD) for unlimited data (with full speed up to 5GB, and throttled after that, but no higher cost.). And that includes tethering.

What gives?

us=capitalism to the max
capitalism ≠ service
capitalism = maximum profits
Upgrading the networks in the US would cut profits, so it only happens when there is no other choice - competitive reasons, too many complaints (so many that business is threatened, etc.)
.....

[schmidm77]

How can AT&T get away with things like this?

I live in Sweden and here we got 14,4 Mbit/s 3G in 90% of the country. In central parts of Stockholm, the first LTE network is already up and running.

This is while paying 199 SEK (about 25 USD) for unlimited data (with full speed up to 5GB, and throttled after that, but no higher cost.). And that includes tethering.

What gives?

Congratulations, you live in a country with an area the size of California.

[jpine]

and there are >298 million folks not living in the Minneapolis area, and >299.7 million not living in Minneapolis proper.
I'm happy for you, but I can tell you LA is not as fortunate, and UCLA Medical Center, which employs largely what might be the iPhone demographic, is worthless with regard to ATT coverage. No calls in or out with any reliability, and data, forget it...

Verizon is not so great there either. I have to step out into the hallway near a window to use my phone when I see my cardiologist.

[hanpa]

After the rollout, AT&T should have no objections regarding full use of 3G cellular on the iPhone for Skype calls, YouTube with same quality as on Wi-Fi, Google voice etc.. According to their answer to FCC regarding agreement with Apple, they have no objections since there is no agreement with Apple. At least not formally... Hope this solves the issue permanently so that the rest of the world can use the iPhone to its full potential.

[VoR]

Congratulations, you live in a country with an area the size of California.

Wouldn't a large population in a small area makes it easier for a provider to supply a decent infrastructure?

[hanpa]

Congratulations, you live in a country with an area the size of California.

So Sweden is a small country but we have plans that allow is to use our mobile networks to whatever we want, unfortunately US is not a free country in that respect. It's a shame that Apple's dictatorship prevents the rest of the world to use their iPhone to its full potential, despite the non-existing agreement between AT&T and Apple... The only solution at the moment is to jailbreak.

[mattster16]

actually, your argument brings up something that I've noticed while living in Scandinavia ... quality is king and cost is irrelevant, while in the US, cost is king.

people here don't mind paying hugely expensive prices IF the quality is high, which pushes up both the cost and the quality. the crappiest item available is much higher quality than in the US (can't get a pair of jeans for less than 60USD and Levis usually run 100-150). also, Swedes really invest in very high quality infrastructure ... beautiful subway system ... even though it's 40 SEK (6.5 USD) for a single round trip fare.

it's funny. i've changed a lot from living here, and I'm not looking forward to moving to Frankfurt :(

I love Scandinavia and have been there many times and have family in Finland as well. I'm also Swedish by heritage.

You are so wrong in your observations however. Everything there is hugely expensive, there is no option to buy something cheap. This is because of the very high tax rates. It's not that people WANT to spend more, they just have to and that is what they are used to so they don't mind. The quality is also, NOT better (maybe in your mind it is). I would say it is equal to the quality of items in the US - more or less in some cases. In general I would say food was of the same quality and clothing was more or less the same since it's all made the same place anyways. Electronics are all the same, appliances are all the same. Furniture in the U.S. is generally of better quality.

Sweden/Scandinavia in general has far fewer large cities as well - so that explains your great subway. High taxes + less infrastructure to invest in = nicer infrastructure.

Again I love Scandinavian countries and they do a lot I wish the U.S. would do, but they aren't some mecca of progress and perfection either.

[antzzz]

I love Scandinavia and have been there many times and have family in Finland as well. I'm also Swedish by heritage.

You are so wrong in your observations however. Everything there is hugely expensive, there is no option to buy something cheap. This is because of the very high tax rates. It's not that people WANT to spend more, they just have to and that is what they are used to so they don't mind. The quality is also, NOT better (maybe in your mind it is). I would say it is equal to the quality of items in the US - more or less in some cases. In general I would say food was of the same quality and clothing was more or less the same since it's all made the same place anyways. Electronics are all the same, appliances are all the same. Furniture in the U.S. is generally of better quality.

Sweden/Scandinavia in general has far fewer large cities as well - so that explains your great subway. High taxes + less infrastructure to invest in = nicer infrastructure.

Again I love Scandinavian countries and they do a lot I wish the U.S. would do, but they aren't some mecca of progress and perfection either.

Ok, so Sweden is small like California - whats the justification for Telstra covering 99% of Australia with 21 Mbps when AT&T is only starting to roll out 7.2 Mbps in *select locations* - Australia and the USA are similar in land mass (excl. Alaska and Hawaii) - so if Telstra can make $1.9 billion profit covering a market of 20 million people - what are AT&T doing???

[army91c]

Charlotte is a major city? Please... How about Denver as a major city.

[bella92108]

Ok, so Sweden is small like California - whats the justification for Telstra covering 99% of Australia with 21 Mbps when AT&T is only starting to roll out 7.2 Mbps in *select locations* - Australia and the USA are similar in land mass (excl. Alaska and Hawaii) - so if Telstra can make $1.9 billion profit covering a market of 20 million people - what are AT&T doing???

I'd love to see where you get the fact "Telstra covers 99% of Australia with 21 mbps" ... because I know for a fact that in the outback there's "No Bars" which accounts for about 99% of the country. Stop ********ting.

[LEStudios]

Thanks for nothing, AT&T. Rogers of Canada still has a better wireless service than you clunkers. I never reach the theoretical max speed for my iPhone 3G here in Austin, and now you expect me to believe that your 7.2mbps rollout will be any different? Bah.

Signed,

Waiting for the LTE iPhone


Here's the link to Speedtest.net app its Free so test it and post what your 3G Speed is because here's in Houston,TX it's 1.2-Mbps.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=300704847&mt=8

[hanpa]

Again I love Scandinavian countries and they do a lot I wish the U.S. would do, but they aren't some mecca of progress and perfection either.

No but we can use 3G cellular at 7.2Mbit/s without restrictions. 2g/edge is more or less useless, I´ve noticed this when I only have that connection once in a while. 3G cellular with the iPhone is like going from a slow modem connection to 10Mbit/s. Unfortunately, Apple has crippled the iPhone for all users (jailbreaked excluded) due to the fact that the US is stuck in the 20th century with respect to mobile internet.

[diamond.g]

Did anyone notice that AT&T is doing a MyFavs thing as well (called A-List). The downside is you have to have a 900 minute individual plan (59.99) or a 1400 minute family plan (89.99) to be able to use the feature...

[VenusianSky]

I've made this argument before and I'll make it again. We already have 160Mb/s LTE in some parts of Stockholm and the whole country (98%+, there are some water-based dead spots) is 3G and the size of California.

If California has 35 million people, why can't they do it? That's 4x the population density.

I guess I don't understand your argument.

So you are saying that the people of California should petition or propose for AT&T to bring 3G coverage to the entire state. Yeah, that will happen. I would guess that over 90% of the population of California does not even know what 3G is.

Actually, your argument makes no sense. I'm pretty sure AT&T could provide excellent 3G coverage to California and all its people if it were the only state they provided service to and no other providers (Verizon, Cricket, etc) exist.

[antzzz]

I'd love to see where you get the fact "Telstra covers 99% of Australia with 21 mbps" ... because I know for a fact that in the outback there's "No Bars" which accounts for about 99% of the country. Stop ********ting.

If you read my previous post, it is 99% of the POPULATION.

See... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_G

[firedogut]

Cool houston will get it. i live just west of Houston in the suburbs.


test below are using Cisco Global internet speed test app
all speeds in kbps
wifi (802.11g) with comcast----high 3246 avg 3065 low 2832
3g -----------------high 710 avg 615 low 433
edge---------------high 160 avg 150 low 129

[bella92108]

If you read my previous post, it is 99% of the POPULATION.

See... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_G

I read your post, it says nothing about the population, you stated that Telstra covers 99% of Australia.

[mattster16]

If you read my previous post, it is 99% of the POPULATION.

See... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_G

Yeah..they put up a couple dozen high capacity towers and they cover the 1% of the area where 99% of the population of the country lives. What a massive upgrade/maintenance challenge!

[mattster16]

Here's the link to Speedtest.net app its Free so test it and post what your 3G Speed is because here's in Houston,TX it's 1.2-Mbps.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=300704847&mt=8

Currently in downtown Minneapolis, in my office building.

1777 kbps down, 329 kbps up

[twoodcc]

glad they are starting this. just needs to hurry and to areas where i'll be

[/dev/toaster]

Wow, no New York or San Francisco ?! Talk about shooting your self in the foot AT&T. Well, it doesn't really matter anyway. With some luck, the iPhone won't be just on AT&T by the time they really get moving with this roll out.

I can't wait to drop AT&T for a better provider.

[worldviewpr]

I upgraded from original iPhone to 3GS thinking I'd get 3GS as Apple billed.

False advertising
Violation of (at least implied) service level agreement

********.

[firedogut]

I upgraded from original iPhone to 3GS thinking I'd get 3GS as Apple billed.

what did you get?

[iphones4evry1]

One more reason I love AT&T ... sort of. :)
(If I could get a plan of $30 data, $15 text, and $9.99 voice minutes, I actually would love AT&T)

You have to have a 3GS though, right? This should help Apple sell a lot more 3GS to people who only have a 3G.

.

.

[MizzouCowboy]

Nice to see once again the US mobile network 3-4 years behind the rest of the world even though it is the richest nation on earth.

Also one of the most heavily regulated where technology is concerned.

[eastercat]

Considering what a wretched city Dallas is, the 7.2Mbps will make it tolerable.

I'd love to get European speed and prices. However, that won't happen as long as the companies are on different standards. If we had one radio standard for all the companies, I think we'd be a lot further along. Also Apple wouldn't have had to limit itself to one company (unless it really wanted to). Sometimes, choice isn't such a good thing.

[smeagol]

AT&T seems to be in the news alot lately for their network buckling under the pressure of the iPhone. Everyone is blaming iPhone users for their spotty reception and you know what I say to that.... so what!!!

AT&T knew full well what they were potentially getting into, but did they prepare? No they were too busy raking in record profits and to hell with all the iPhone users paying by the bucketload for quality service. Now at the very last moment they suddenly realized, hey, uhh maybe we should start upgrading our system, those iPhones are starting to fly off the shelves. They should have had the foresight to know that a $99 iPhone would flock people to the network.
Now they're putting out fake bloggers to explain their woes on youTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5yIVgj0VVA. You know what, it's time to pay the piper AT&T, analyst are putting in their 2 cents saying that its like a small pipe everyone is using and only so much could go through at a time, maybe it's time for a bigger pipe.

Instead of upgrading to faster 3G why not get a jump start on the competition and start upgrading to 4G, why spend billions on 3G upgrades only to spend billions more on a 4G network next year, oh yeah, they're in big trouble right now, not next year.

[diamond.g]

Also one of the most heavily regulated where technology is concerned.

yup, that pesky FCC...

[forgottensoft]

*yawn* AT&T is an awful Company. Really there just awful.

[gootz]

No SF Bay Area! Step into my office. Why? Your ****** fired!

[worldviewpr]

what did you get?

I basically spent 3GS money for a $59 3G with camera. I debated whether to wait for 2010, but when you skip every other generation, it was time.

But AT&T and Apple should both be sued in class action for false advertisement and not delivering what was promised.

[NightStorm]

I basically spent 3GS money for a $59 3G with camera. I debated whether to wait for 2010, but when you skip every other generation, it was time.

But AT&T and Apple should both be sued in class action for false advertisement and not delivering what was promised.

What was promised? :confused:

[MorphingDragon]

What was promised? :confused:

MMS and Tethering at the iPhone 3GS Launch.

[tonywalker23]

I wish AT&T would start rolling out 3G in Anderson, SC. They do not even have the slow 3G here yet....

Amen to that. Every time I've asked them at the Anderson store they just say something later than the last time I asked

[catskinsox]

Amen to that. Every time I've asked them at the Anderson store they just say something later than the last time I asked

It's live in Anderson, SC as of tonight! Finally!

[libertyforall]

So when they say Chicago, how far does that extend into the suburbs? Are there maps available defining the boundaries of the major city deployments??? :confused:

[diamond.g]

So when they say Chicago, how far does that extend into the suburbs? Are there maps available defining the boundaries of the major city deployments??? :confused:

The maps wouldn't show the lines very well since the size of the cell changes depending on how many users are active on it at any given time.

[Dainin]

Why don't they just go straight to LTE now and skip 7.2?

[diamond.g]

Why don't they just go straight to LTE now and skip 7.2?

They don't have any compelling reason to.

[kdarling]

Why don't they just go straight to LTE now and skip 7.2?

It would cost a huge amount more to do. Despite the marketing talk of evolutions, each generation of GSM is a fairly large change for carriers.

Basically, ATT has to take care of two coexisting networks already: the original GSM-GPRS with TDMA radios and the later UMTS-3G with WCDMA radios. Supporting UMTS-LTE would add another.

For LTE, they would have to add OFDMA radios at every cell, and implement a new IP based backend network.

(Verizon's still on its first CDMA network, since they didn't start with GSM, so adding LTE is only their first coexisting network.)