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What speeds are widely considered "3g"?

kind of subjective, since speed depends heavily on which cellular technology your looking at (GSM or CDMA), network infrastructure, network load, bandwidth....etc. there are theoretical maximums for each level, which the end user likely will never see. there are too many variables to consider. your data speeds may be different than mine. i can give you an idea from experience, but they will be vague and general.

when i had AT&T

EDGE: .75-1.5 mbps
3G: 1- 5 mbps
H+: 3-14 mbps
LTE: 10-???

Verizon CDMA

1XRTT: <1 mbps
3G: 1-3 mbps
LTE: 15-30+ mbps
 
dontwalkhand said:
-EDGE Slow 50-100kbps
-3G 3mbps Good
-4G HSPA+ 14-42mbps Better
-4G up to 50-100mbps LTE Best
Click to expand...

dictoresno said:
kind of subjective, since speed depends heavily on which cellular technology your looking at (GSM or CDMA), network infrastructure, network load, bandwidth....etc. there are theoretical maximums for each level, which the end user likely will never see. there are too many variables to consider. your data speeds may be different than mine. i can give you an idea from experience, but they will be vague and general.

when i had AT&T

EDGE: .75-1.5 mbps
3G: 1- 5 mbps
H+: 3-14 mbps
LTE: 10-???

Verizon CDMA

1XRTT: <1 mbps
3G: 1-3 mbps
LTE: 15-30+ mbps
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick responses. Are these down speeds or up speeds?
 
Beeplance said:
They are all download speeds. CDMA always have worse EDGE and 3G speeds than their GSM counterparts, but LTE is more or less the same.😎
Click to expand...

CDMA doesnt have EDGE....its a GSM 2G technology. its CDMA equivalent would be in between 1XRTT and 3G.

as i stated, theres no real way to actually answer the OP's question. way to many variables to considers. all we can do is generalize.
 
dictoresno said:
EDGE: .75-1.5 mbps
..
Click to expand...

Correction: EDGE's max speed for real networks (using 4 slots) is 236Kbps. Even its theoretical max speed (8 slots, which AT&T didn't support) is only double that.

Baggio said:
I always thought LTE was GSM tech, due to the SIM card requirement.

"LTE is a standard for wireless data communications technology and an evolution of the GSM/UMTS standards."
Click to expand...

There's no cell radio compatibility between GPRS, UMTS or LTE. They share some background network components, but that's about it. To support all three, a phone needs all three types of radios.

"Evolution" is a marketing term. It's like saying an automobile is an evolution of a horse-drawn cart. Yes, it is, but their engines are not mechanically similar 🙂
 
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