AT&T Migrating 3G Network to 7.2 Mbps, Planning for 21 Mbps Later This Year?

MacRumors · Apr 20, 2009, 12:49 PM

Telephony Online reports that AT&T is in the process of upgrading its 3G wireless network from the current 3.6 Mbps download standard to 7.2 Mbps. Several recent rumors have suggested that the next-generation iPhone due this summer will be able to take advantage of the higher speeds.

Quote:

AT&T is increasing the downlink capacity on its high-speed packet access (HSPA) from 3.6 megabits per second to 7.2 Mb/s through software upgrades at the base station, said Scott McElroy, AT&T Mobility vice president of technology realization. AT&T currently has the enhanced networks running in two test markets but plans to extend those capabilities to its entire network.

Furthermore, while the HSPA standard has the capability of supporting 14.4 Mbps through future upgrades, AT&T appears to be planning to bypass that step and move later this year directly to the HSPA+ standard, offering download speeds of up to 21 Mbps and a number of other upgrades.

Quote:

The next obvious step would be for AT&T to further upgrade its 3G networks and devices to its full 14.4-Mb/s potential, but McElroy said AT&T will most likely skip the final HSPA iteration for two reasons: There have been technical difficulties implementing the final step, and HSPA+ is now ready for prime time. There's little point in migrating to 14.4 Mb/s if AT&T can go straight to 21 Mb/s, McElroy said.

These upgrades to AT&T's 3G network are designed to serve as intermediate steps until AT&T rolls out its LTE (4G) network, currently slated to debut in 2011.

Article Link: AT&T Migrating 3G Network to 7.2 Mbps, Planning for 21 Mbps Later This Year?

profets · Apr 20, 2009, 12:51 PM

Hasn't at&t already been deploying 7.2? i know in canada rogers has had 7.2 active in some big cities for over a year.

Tilpots · Apr 20, 2009, 12:52 PM

How does HSPA+ compare to 4G?

swingerofbirch · Apr 20, 2009, 12:54 PM

If they get up to 21 Mbps do you think they will start to offer that as a plan for people's personal computers? I know you already can with a built in 3G card or dongle, but I mean, do you think they will try to mainstream it and position themselves as an ISP? The only problem being cell reception is always worse indoors...21 Mbps is faster than what you can get from either the DSL or cable company in my area.

antdfsc · Apr 20, 2009, 12:55 PM

how about expanding regular 3G to areas that don't have it yet? I live in MA and it is very inconsistent from one city to another...

alm99 · Apr 20, 2009, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antdfsc

how about expanding regular 3G to areas that don't have it yet? I live in MA and it is very inconsistent from one city to another...

I second this, their 3G network is garbage compared to Verizon Wireless.

Plutonius · Apr 20, 2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alm99

I second this, their 3G network is garbage compared to Verizon Wireless.

Guess what... It depends on where you are. Not every network is the best in all places.

W1LLk · Apr 20, 2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alm99

I second this, their 3G network is garbage compared to Verizon Wireless.

If you read the original article they aren't just upgrading, it's part of a larger infrastructure upgrade and expansion. The network will gain strength and increase in size with this update.

mklos · Apr 20, 2009, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antdfsc

how about expanding regular 3G to areas that don't have it yet? I live in MA and it is very inconsistent from one city to another...

Exactly what I was going to say. I'm stuck on EDGE still. This is kind of keeping me from getting an iPhone 3G. Why should I have to pay for something I cannot get?

They also need to expand their coverage in general. There are important places I go where there is no coverage, or its very spotty at best.

Sabon · Apr 20, 2009, 02:16 PM

How about making it so that my wife and I can consistently make and receive phone calls and not get dropped in the middle of the conversation.

I wish they would work on that. I live in the Seattle area. We shouldn't be having the problems with the phone part of the iPhones. If I could switch to Verizon I would do it.

Unspoken Demise · Apr 20, 2009, 02:24 PM

This better affect the iPhone 3g. I know its a network, but it seems from the article that the new Summer iPhone is the only one that can take advantage of it. I would gladly pay 5-10$ more a month for better signal strength/ speed on my 3g.

dudemac · Apr 20, 2009, 02:34 PM

How about upgrading the networks where there is no 3G. I live in a place that has not been upgraded to 3G yet. It would be really great if they could at least bring us up to speed too. Verizion seems to have 3G up here just not ATT.

thedude

hippo206 · Apr 20, 2009, 03:02 PM

I don't know if this has already been said, but for me it seems pointless for them to up there network speed when they put so many restrictions on what you can/cannot do over thier network. Whats the point of having these wonderful speeds when all the nice app's that require bandwidth get denied? Seems like if your just browsing webpages, the current speeds are fine.

winterspan · Apr 20, 2009, 03:13 PM

screw the speed upgrades.. They should be spending all their resources on expanding their 3G network and improving coverage in existing 3G areas... Verizon still blows them away in suburban and rural areas, particularly in the west.

CTU Kyoto · Apr 20, 2009, 06:01 PM

Anyone know what the situation is with Germany's T-Mobile 3G network regarding speeds? I'm considering getting an iPhone and am currently waiting to see what comes in summer. Would a theoretical 3.5G iPhone hardware upgrade be any good to me here?

I'm going to wait anyway to see if at least a 32GB iPhone comes out, or something with any other compelling hardware upgrades (improved battery life, camera and so on).

BWhaler · Apr 20, 2009, 06:04 PM

This seems to make a lot of sense to me, but not for the reasons mentioned in the article.

I think the true driver is Verizon moving to 4G and the expiring Apple contract.

At 100mbts down, Verizon is going to crush AT&T without their next generation. Crush them. Even with AT&T at 21mbps, Verizon is going to be 500% faster. And we all know how bad AT&T backbone has been.

Years of being cheap on infrastructure and managing wall street earnings has caught up with AT&T.

Thank heaven for competition. Verizon made a poor choice not going with the iPhone, so they are cranking their network speed up and getting ready to steal the iPhone exclusive from AT&T.

Imagine this: Verizon @ 100 mbps with the iPhone exclusive. AT&T will be kicked to the basement. This is clearly Verizon's play.

The big winner is Apple. With market power, blazing fast pipes, and unlimited data deals, Apple is going to have the fertile soil to innovate.

AT&T sees this too. They have no choice but to seriously invest in their backbone, jump to 21 mbps, and by 2011 be in the same ballpark as Verizon.

I always thought it was odd that AT&T leaked they wanted a one year extension. But with Verizon coming online this year, and AT&T not being able to roll-out their next generation until about 1 year later, the 1 year extension allows AT&T to block Verizon.

The other big winner is us. This is going to force innovation across the board from Apple, Google, Motorola, SonyEriccson, etc.

It's amazing to see what competition can do for an industry. Look at the same company's behavior around the crappy games with their ISP business.

NinjaHERO · Apr 20, 2009, 07:22 PM

I am glad to hear they are skipping an upgrade to go higher faster. Although I would rather they jump the 21mps and get straight to 4G

iMaggot · Apr 21, 2009, 01:23 AM

I can barely get a damn connection with AT&T

RogueWarrior65 · Apr 21, 2009, 11:03 AM

Once again it's only useful if you're operating in a major city. Instead of spending money on making it faster, IMHO the priority should be to increase coverage.

Mattie Num Nums · May 27, 2009, 01:59 PM

Its amazing now my iPhone is officially faster than my Time Warner Cable.

mikejd1 · Apr 20, 2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antdfsc

how about expanding regular 3G to areas that don't have it yet? I live in MA and it is very inconsistent from one city to another...

I live in MA too, where abouts are you? I have excellent 3G in Worcester (all major highways around worcester), all of 495, the entire mass pike, framingham, most of the borough's, boston, etc...

antdfsc · Apr 21, 2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejd1

I live in MA too, where abouts are you? I have excellent 3G in Worcester (all major highways around worcester), all of 495, the entire mass pike, framingham, most of the borough's, boston, etc...

I live in Leominster, but I work around Worcester. I get great 3G coverage around Worcester, and pretty much anywhere east. But as soon as I start heading home up 190, it drops out. At my house I'm lucky to have 3 bars of EDGE!

Fraghax · Apr 20, 2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antdfsc

how about expanding regular 3G to areas that don't have it yet? I live in MA and it is very inconsistent from one city to another...

Agreed.....I live less than 2 miles from Louisville, KY and the data service can be very shotty at times. I typically try to use pandora radio on my iphone while im riding in the car and sometimes it cant connect or it will stop streaming.

very frustrating.

JJayguy23 · Apr 20, 2009, 07:09 PM

I'll believe it when I see it.

bruinsrme · Apr 20, 2009, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antdfsc

how about expanding regular 3G to areas that don't have it yet? I live in MA and it is very inconsistent from one city to another...

I live in a "3G" area so says ATT.

Coverage is pretty much unreliable unless I am East of 495

Apr 20, 2009, 12:52 PM	#3
Tilpots macrumors 65816 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wilmington, NC	How does HSPA+ compare to 4G? __________________ If you have a difficult task, give it to a lazy man, he will find an easier way to do it.

Apr 20, 2009, 12:54 PM	#4
swingerofbirch macrumors 68000 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: The Amalgamated States of Central North America	If they get up to 21 Mbps do you think they will start to offer that as a plan for people's personal computers? I know you already can with a built in 3G card or dongle, but I mean, do you think they will try to mainstream it and position themselves as an ISP? The only problem being cell reception is always worse indoors...21 Mbps is faster than what you can get from either the DSL or cable company in my area. __________________ Blog of Failure After using a PC all day, coming home to my Mac is like a tall, cold glass of peach iced tea.

Apr 20, 2009, 12:55 PM	#5
antdfsc macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Mass	how about expanding regular 3G to areas that don't have it yet? I live in MA and it is very inconsistent from one city to another... __________________ 15" 2.33GHz MBP 1.8 GHz G5 16GB iPhone Black

Apr 20, 2009, 02:16 PM	#10
Sabon macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Seattle, WA	Phone calls How about making it so that my wife and I can consistently make and receive phone calls and not get dropped in the middle of the conversation. I wish they would work on that. I live in the Seattle area. We shouldn't be having the problems with the phone part of the iPhones. If I could switch to Verizon I would do it. __________________ My website -> http://web.mac.com/olsonbw/iWeb/Bill...20website.html

Apr 20, 2009, 02:34 PM	#12
dudemac macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2004	3g..... How about upgrading the networks where there is no 3G. I live in a place that has not been upgraded to 3G yet. It would be really great if they could at least bring us up to speed too. Verizion seems to have 3G up here just not ATT. thedude

Apr 20, 2009, 12:51 PM	#2
profets macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2009	Hasn't at&t already been deploying 7.2? i know in canada rogers has had 7.2 active in some big cities for over a year.

Apr 20, 2009, 02:24 PM	#11
Unspoken Demise macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: JESUS SAVES...passes to Moses, shoots, SCORES!!!	This better affect the iPhone 3g. I know its a network, but it seems from the article that the new Summer iPhone is the only one that can take advantage of it. I would gladly pay 5-10$ more a month for better signal strength/ speed on my 3g.

Apr 20, 2009, 03:02 PM	#13
hippo206 macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2007	I don't know if this has already been said, but for me it seems pointless for them to up there network speed when they put so many restrictions on what you can/cannot do over thier network. Whats the point of having these wonderful speeds when all the nice app's that require bandwidth get denied? Seems like if your just browsing webpages, the current speeds are fine. __________________ 17' MacBook Pro 2.4 Hi-Res 7200RPM 15' MacBook Pro 2.2 8GB 3G iPhone 24' Imac JP Love Song (Kewick)

Apr 20, 2009, 03:13 PM	#14
winterspan macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2007	screw the speed upgrades.. They should be spending all their resources on expanding their 3G network and improving coverage in existing 3G areas... Verizon still blows them away in suburban and rural areas, particularly in the west.

Apr 20, 2009, 06:01 PM	#15
CTU Kyoto macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Frankfurt, Germany	Anyone know what the situation is with Germany's T-Mobile 3G network regarding speeds? I'm considering getting an iPhone and am currently waiting to see what comes in summer. Would a theoretical 3.5G iPhone hardware upgrade be any good to me here? I'm going to wait anyway to see if at least a 32GB iPhone comes out, or something with any other compelling hardware upgrades (improved battery life, camera and so on). __________________ Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.

Apr 20, 2009, 06:04 PM	#16
BWhaler macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jan 2003	This seems to make a lot of sense to me, but not for the reasons mentioned in the article. I think the true driver is Verizon moving to 4G and the expiring Apple contract. At 100mbts down, Verizon is going to crush AT&T without their next generation. Crush them. Even with AT&T at 21mbps, Verizon is going to be 500% faster. And we all know how bad AT&T backbone has been. Years of being cheap on infrastructure and managing wall street earnings has caught up with AT&T. Thank heaven for competition. Verizon made a poor choice not going with the iPhone, so they are cranking their network speed up and getting ready to steal the iPhone exclusive from AT&T. Imagine this: Verizon @ 100 mbps with the iPhone exclusive. AT&T will be kicked to the basement. This is clearly Verizon's play. The big winner is Apple. With market power, blazing fast pipes, and unlimited data deals, Apple is going to have the fertile soil to innovate. AT&T sees this too. They have no choice but to seriously invest in their backbone, jump to 21 mbps, and by 2011 be in the same ballpark as Verizon. I always thought it was odd that AT&T leaked they wanted a one year extension. But with Verizon coming online this year, and AT&T not being able to roll-out their next generation until about 1 year later, the 1 year extension allows AT&T to block Verizon. The other big winner is us. This is going to force innovation across the board from Apple, Google, Motorola, SonyEriccson, etc. It's amazing to see what competition can do for an industry. Look at the same company's behavior around the crappy games with their ISP business. __________________ "Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." -- Hunter Thompson

Apr 20, 2009, 07:22 PM	#17
NinjaHERO macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: U S of A	I am glad to hear they are skipping an upgrade to go higher faster. Although I would rather they jump the 21mps and get straight to 4G __________________ New New MBP 13" (1st one defective), iBook G4, Two Iphone 3G's NinjaHERO.com, StoppingStupid.com, and SASScience.com

Apr 21, 2009, 01:23 AM	#18
iMaggot macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Your House	I can barely get a damn connection with AT&T __________________ iPhone: 3G 16GB Black \| iPod: 5th Gen 32GB Black \| 15" MBP (Unibody), 2.53GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, NVIDIA 9600M GT 512MB Gaming PC:Asus PT6-D V2\|i7 920 @ 4GHz (OC)\|CORSAIR 6GB RAM(OC)\|HIS 4890 (OC)

Apr 21, 2009, 11:03 AM	#19
RogueWarrior65 macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Redondo Beach, CA	That's nice but... Once again it's only useful if you're operating in a major city. Instead of spending money on making it faster, IMHO the priority should be to increase coverage.

May 27, 2009, 01:59 PM	#20
Mattie Num Nums macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: California	Its amazing now my iPhone is officially faster than my Time Warner Cable. __________________ 15" Macbook Pro Unibody / iPhone 8GB / Mac OS/Desktop/Laptop/Server Certified

Apr 20, 2009, 07:09 PM	#24
JJayguy23 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2006	Honestly I'll believe it when I see it.

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