AT&T says 3G network to be completed by June

[AppleInsider]

AT&T said Wednesday it plans to have completed deployment of its vast 3G wireless infrastructure by next month, around the same time Apple is expected to begin selling a an updated iPhone that will take advantage of the faster wireless technology.

"By the end of June, connecting to AT&T's 3G mobile broadband service will be as speedy as logging onto the high speed Internet service that many consumers enjoy at home," the carrier said in a statement.

AT&T note that its final step in the process is to deploy High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) technology in six remaining markets covered by its 3G network, which will boost uploads speeds to the 500 - 800 Kbps range.

The new upload speeds will complement AT&T's existing 3G download capabilities, which offer speeds up to 1.4 Mbps thanks to previous deployments of its HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology.

Once completed, AT&T will be the only U.S. carrier to have fully deployed HSPA technology in its 3G network, with availability in more than 275 markets. The carrier said it will then work on scaling the technology to nearly 350 markets by year's end, at which time it will have spent a combined $20 billion over the past four years in improvements and upgrades.

"Equally as important as the network is the device through which a customer experiences it," the carrier said. "AT&T's handset portfolio in company-owned stores is more than 75 percent 3G-capable — and will be even more enticing with the addition of more 3G-enabled smartphones in the summer and fall of 2008."

Earlier this month, AppleInsider reported on AT&T's long-term roadmap for its 3G network, which includes boosting speeds to the 7.2 Mbps range sometime later this year or early next, and eventually hit speeds of 20 Mbps sometime in 2009.

Beyond that, the the carrier says it has "a clear and logical path" to 700MHz 4G access via the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard in the 2010 timeframe that could increase speeds to nearly 100 Mbps.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[macnut222]

What a coincidence

[SpamSandwich]

I'll believe it when I see it for myself...

In other news...

[Matthew Yohe]

Any word on which markets? Omaha? Des Moines?

[RidleyGriff]

Could AT&T's race to upgrade the upload speed of their network have anything to do with the new iPhone having some certain feature that would be expected to make heavy use of uploading data?

Something like, say, video chatting perhaps?

[PG4G]

Oh, and people still say Apple won't release a 3G iPhone in June-July?

Oooh, I understand. Their heads are in sand.

There is no denying that it is coming, and right on schedule. It is impossible not to. (overseas carriers in Australia are 3G capable only, so Vodafone and Optus in down under's announcements mean it MUST be a 3G launch.)

[l008com]

I would hardly call 800k/1.4m "as speedy as logging onto the high speed Internet service that many consumers enjoy at home" but then again how much do you need to surf the web, on your phone :-)

[json]

Interesting.... in Sweden we already have 7.2 mbit HSDPA systems in place (not covering the entire country though mind you) and 1.4 mbit HSUPA.

But do we have one (or more) operator(s) for the iPhone??
NO!!!
None of the nordic countries have.... are some of us losing our patience??
YES!!!

Ok, enough whining from me for now.

Congratulations to you guys in the US getting mobile broadband!

[echosonic]

Originally Posted by RidleyGriff

Could AT&T's race to upgrade the upload speed of their network have anything to do with the new iPhone having some certain feature that would be expected to make heavy use of uploading data?

Something like, say, video chatting perhaps?

It COULD. Hope it does. Gives me a chubbawoody just thinking about it. You needed to know that. That's why I shared.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Any word on which markets?

Good question. What defines a market?

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

I'll believe it when I see it for myself...

In other news...

That is a nice piece of HW. It is because of this VGA @ 2.8" display that I think Apple will out at least a VGA display in the 3G iPhone.

Originally Posted by l008com

I would hardly call 800k/1.4m "as speedy as logging onto the high speed Internet service that many consumers enjoy at home" but then again how much do you need to surf the web, on your phone :-)

I wonder what the average US internet speed is. I am getting about that in my hotel and if I put in my AT&T 3G USB card I get about the same. Though torrents work better through the hotel's network.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by json

Interesting.... in Sweden we already have 7.2 mbit HSDPA systems in place (not covering the entire country though mind you) and 1.4 mbit HSUPA.

But do we have one (or more) operator(s) for the iPhone??
NO!!!
None of the nordic countries have.... are some of us losing our patience??
YES!!!

Ok, enough whining from me for now.

Congratulations to you guys in the US getting mobile broadband!

That is a lot of angry faces. Nokia has a very strong fan base in those areas and the iPhone is still currently EDGE and GPRS, the former of which was completely passed over. I don't think you're going to have much trouble procuring an iPhone in a month or two.

[json]

Originally Posted by solipsism

That is a lot of angry faces. Nokia has a very strong fan base in those areas and the iPhone is still currently EDGE and GPRS, the former of which was completely passed over. I don't think you're going to have much trouble procuring an iPhone in a month or two.

Yeah, sorry about the faces..... Yes Nokia have a strong fan base, but currently SonyEricsson is even stronger.

I also think that we will soon get some announcement, I just hope that it will be the operator that has the best geographical coverage (Telia). I guess the faces are also somewhat a result of me being slightly nervous.....

[monstrosity]

and in other news again.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by json

I also think that we will soon get some announcement, I just hope that it will be the operator that has the best geographical coverage (Telia). I guess the faces are also somewhat a result of me being slightly nervous.....

I am under the impression that the laws for many of those countries forbade locked phones; that all Apple could offer is an exclusivity right to a specific carrier only as a retail outlet.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by json

Yeah, sorry about the faces..... Yes Nokia have a strong fan base, but currently SonyEricsson is even stronger.

I also think that we will soon get some announcement, I just hope that it will be the operator that has the best geographical coverage (Telia). I guess the faces are also somewhat a result of me being slightly nervous.....

It's only a phone.

[battlescarred]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Any word on which markets? Omaha? Des Moines?

I can't find any information on the locations AT&T plans on updating or installing new cell sites. I did call AT&T and ask them however. The woman told me she is seeing plenty of 3G access in my area (Omaha). I asked her to check and verify the accuracy with someone else there. She said the map was correct. She definitely had no clue!

[json]

Originally Posted by melgross

It's only a phone.

Of course. I am not losing sleep over this.

But it would be sad if Apple chose to partner with an operator that basically covers the three major cities and some of more densly populated areas in the south.
The best solution would be to have more than one operator of course.

[aduzik]

Yohe: There was an article in the Register -- or actually just a local AP News story -- a couple of weeks ago saying that AT&T is deploying its 3G network in Des Moines. If they're doing it in Des Moines, they're certainly doing it in Omaha, too. However, one of the AT&T store managers cautioned that it will be available only in Des Moines and West Des Moines. No guarantees on even Urbandale and Johnston, and certainly not as far as Ankeny.

[fraklinc]

well they're making a lot of progress lately, my area has been covered completely with 3G coverage in the last 2 weeks http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/

[Iphtashu Fitz]

Originally Posted by RidleyGriff

Could AT&T's race to upgrade the upload speed of their network have anything to do with the new iPhone having some certain feature that would be expected to make heavy use of uploading data?

Something like, say, video chatting perhaps?

Most likely just general planning for increased demand. They probably anticipate the app store generating traffic, the known desire for IM on the iPhone, etc. All that on top of more customers making use of 3G in general, not just iPhone traffic (but that'll undoubtedly be a good amount).

[melgross]

This is all very expensive to do. That's why small countries with few dense population centers get coverage quickly, while we have to wait. There are tens of thousands of small towns here in the US. a thousand towns with a thousand people in it is just one million people. Even towns with ten thousand make up a small part of the population, though there are lots of them. It's tough to do here. Everything is so spread out.

[ktappe]

Originally Posted by json

Interesting.... in Sweden we already have 7.2 mbit HSDPA systems in place (not covering the entire country though mind you) and 1.4 mbit HSUPA.
Congratulations to you guys in the US getting mobile broadband!

Many Europeans continue to not realize just how big the U.S. is. The time it takes to drive across your country would get you 1/10th of the way across the U.S. To blanket the whole country with cell towers is a daunting, if not impossible task. (And, in many cases, unnecessary, as much of the land is inhabited by wheat and the occasional prairie dog.) True, our cell infrastructure (and cost of service) lags South Korea, Japan, and Scandinavia, but let's be fair, this is a big continent. I'm no fan of AT&T but am pretty impressed they got 3G out this fast.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by l008com

I would hardly call 800k/1.4m "as speedy as logging onto the high speed Internet service that many consumers enjoy at home" but then again how much do you need to surf the web, on your phone :-)

Depending on what service you buy, it could be the same bitrate. DSL generally starts at 768kbps down. However, the latency is said to be higher with mobile internet, and phones are usually a lot slower than computers of the same age.

[8CoreWhore]

Originally Posted by json

Interesting.... in Sweden we already have 7.2 mbit HSDPA systems in place (not covering the entire country though mind you) and 1.4 mbit HSUPA.

But do we have one (or more) operator(s) for the iPhone??
NO!!!
None of the nordic countries have.... are some of us losing our patience??
YES!!!

Ok, enough whining from me for now.

Congratulations to you guys in the US getting mobile broadband!

---
We've had mobile broadband for years in major markets, including through ATT/Cingular, but this news is regarding ATT's finishing its expansion into more markets.

[json]

Originally Posted by ktappe

Many Europeans continue to not realize just how big the U.S. is. The time it takes to drive across your country would get you 1/10th of the way across the U.S. To blanket the whole country with cell towers is a daunting, if not impossible task. (And, in many cases, unnecessary, as much of the land is inhabited by wheat and the occasional prairie dog.) True, our cell infrastructure (and cost of service) lags South Korea, Japan, and Scandinavia, but let's be fair, this is a big continent. I'm no fan of AT&T but am pretty impressed they got 3G out this fast.

Yes the US is huge by any standards, and definately so compared to Sweden (Sweden is apparently about the size of California according to wikipedia).

On the other hand New York for instance seems to have a larger population than the whole of Sweden but should be easier to cover....

But if I'm not mistaken AT&T have not had the GSM/UMTS 3G technology in their network for that long, have they? (didn't they use to have the AMPS and TDMA system just a few years back?)
So taking that into consideration it seems they have had a very fast deployment of first GSM and then UMTS 3G.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by json

Yes the US is huge by any standards, and definately so compared to Sweden (Sweden is apparently about the size of California according to wikipedia).

On the other hand New York for instance seems to have a larger population than the whole of Sweden but should be easier to cover....

But if I'm not mistaken AT&T have not had the GSM/UMTS 3G technology in their network for that long, have they? (didn't they use to have the AMPS and TDMA system just a few years back?)
So taking that into consideration it seems they have had a very fast deployment of first GSM and then UMTS 3G.

I tend to use the CIA World Factbook for that info. If I remember correctly, the US has a per capita of 30 per sq km, while Sweden has 300].


edit: Boy was I off. I may have been thinking of the Netherlands.

Sweden
Land Area: 410,934 sq km
Popualtion:9,045,389 (July 2008 est.)
= 22


US and A
Land Area: 9,161,923 sq km
Population: 303,824,646 (July 2008 est.)
= 33

[NOFEER]

Originally Posted by RidleyGriff

Could AT&T's race to upgrade the upload speed of their network have anything to do with the new iPhone having some certain feature that would be expected to make heavy use of uploading data?

Something like, say, video chatting perhaps?

?video ichat

[melgross]

Originally Posted by json

Yes the US is huge by any standards, and definately so compared to Sweden (Sweden is apparently about the size of California according to wikipedia).

On the other hand New York for instance seems to have a larger population than the whole of Sweden but should be easier to cover....

But if I'm not mistaken AT&T have not had the GSM/UMTS 3G technology in their network for that long, have they? (didn't they use to have the AMPS and TDMA system just a few years back?)
So taking that into consideration it seems they have had a very fast deployment of first GSM and then UMTS 3G.

Yes, it;s tough to cover the entire US.

For many decades, the phone companies were required to bring service to any individual, if they wanted it. Even if that meant that the company paid $50,000 to bring a line to a single farmhouse. But, we all paid a fee for the companies to do that service.

When cell came along, if wasn't felt to be a necessity, so no comparible fees were extended for that purpose. same with broadband.

The estimates are that it will cost Verison over $100 billion, and possibly $200 billion, to cover the entire US with fiber to the home, and that doesn't include the isolated small pockets.

Putting up tens of thousands of towers also costs tens of billions, as does the cost of upgrading all of those transmitters, etc.

Even in an old city such as New Youk, which covers a large area, with rivers in between, is difficult to cover, what with the skyscrapers limiting the line of sight of these towers.

In towns in Europe, where there aren't many buildings over a couple of dozen floors, fewer towers work well enough. But, here, there are towers every few blocks. Getting the right of way is causing problems of its own.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I tend to use the CIA World Factbook for that info. If I remember correctly, the US has a per capita of 30 per sq km, while Sweden has 300].


edit: Boy was I off. I may have been thinking of the Netherlands.

Sweden
Land Area: 410,934 sq km
Popualtion:9,045,389 (July 2008 est.)
= 22


US and A
Land Area: 9,161,923 sq km
Population: 303,824,646 (July 2008 est.)
= 33

You have to look at WHERE these people are. The density itself doesn't say much.

Look at Australia, for example. A very large country, with a small population. Density is very low. But most people live in a very small part of the territory.

Look to the Scandinavian countries, where like some other countries, much of the area is uninhabitable.

[merdhead]

Originally Posted by ktappe

Many Europeans continue to not realize just how big the U.S. is. The time it takes to drive across your country would get you 1/10th of the way across the U.S. To blanket the whole country with cell towers is a daunting, if not impossible task. (And, in many cases, unnecessary, as much of the land is inhabited by wheat and the occasional prairie dog.) True, our cell infrastructure (and cost of service) lags South Korea, Japan, and Scandinavia, but let's be fair, this is a big continent. I'm no fan of AT&T but am pretty impressed they got 3G out this fast.

It all depends on where people live. Australia, for instance, is about the same size as the continental US, with a population of about 20M, but 90% of its population live in the large coastal cities. When a phone company says it covers 90% of the population, it means that its got a few cell towers in the major cities. The US population is more dispersed. Sweden may also have greater concentration in the cities.

Also, this announcement is truly yawn-worthy. So they have rolled out HSPA in the few places where they have 3G. That's hardly "completing the 3G network", which suggests that 3G is everywhere on the network.

AI is really bad at reporting even the simplest news stories. Can anyone suggest a better Apple news site?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by melgross

You have to look at WHERE these people are. The density itself doesn't say much.

Look at Australia, for example. A very large country, with a small population. Density is very low. But most people live in a very small part of the territory.

Look to the Scandinavian countries, where like some other countries, much of the area is uninhabitable.

Excellent point.

[merdhead]

Originally Posted by solipsism

Excellent point.

Melgross is stealing my thoughts.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by merdhead

Melgross is stealing my thoughts.

I was thinking of the Netherlands which, unlike the scandinavian countries, has a much wider population spread and higher percentage of inhabitable land. I thought it was around 300 last time I checked, but that too is wrong.

Netherlands
Land Area: 33,883 sq km
Population: 16,645,313 (July 2008 est.)
= 591 people per sq km

[reg]

Well AT&T still has 10 more miles straight line distance before it gets to where I live with 3G. At least where I work is now covered. That does not mean that I will go out and buy a new 3G iPhone when my current iPhone works. Maybe in a couple of years there will be some new improvement that I will just have to have. Also we do a lot of camping and hiking and AT&T has terrible coverage on the Appalachian trail. All they have to do to make me happy is improve coverage in western Va, WV, western MD and southwest PA.

[David Stevenson]

Originally Posted by solipsism

US and A
Land Area: 9,161,923 sq km
Population: 303,824,646 (July 2008 est.)
= 33

You're not counting the prarie dogs and wheat. Do I detect a whif of elitism?

[Kendoka]

Originally Posted by melgross

Look to the Scandinavian countries, where like some other countries, much of the area is uninhabitable.

"uninhabitable" sounds a bit harsh - like Tjernobyl, Russia...
Here in Scandinavia 3G covers city regions - but, as in other countries, the sparsely populated areas rely on older protocols.

I, too, wait for the next gen iPhone - but for me (living in the Northern Wastelands) 3G is irrelevant; I'm waiting for an unJailbreaked iPhone, with Swedish upper ASCII keyboard (åäöÅÄÖ) and sold through an official Swedish carrier.

[MiMiC]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I tend to use the CIA World Factbook for that info. If I remember correctly, the US has a per capita of 30 per sq km, while Sweden has 300].

thanks for the link!!

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Kendoka

"uninhabitable" sounds a bit harsh - like Tjernobyl, Russia...
Here in Scandinavia 3G covers city regions - but, as in other countries, the sparsely populated areas rely on older protocols.

I, too, wait for the next gen iPhone - but for me (living in the Northern Wastelands) 3G is irrelevant; I'm waiting for an unJailbreaked iPhone, with Swedish upper ASCII keyboard (åäöÅÄÖ) and sold through an official Swedish carrier.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. But, I hope people know what I meant.

[PG4G]

Originally Posted by Kendoka

"uninhabitable" sounds a bit harsh - like Tjernobyl, Russia...
Here in Scandinavia 3G covers city regions - but, as in other countries, the sparsely populated areas rely on older protocols.

I, too, wait for the next gen iPhone - but for me (living in the Northern Wastelands) 3G is irrelevant; I'm waiting for an unJailbreaked iPhone, with Swedish upper ASCII keyboard (åäöÅÄÖ) and sold through an official Swedish carrier.

It actually has it in the phone already. When typing, hold down a letter and you get all the variant options.

[json]

Originally Posted by PG4G

It actually has it in the phone already. When typing, hold down a letter and you get all the variant options.

Yes they are there, but we want "real keys" for these three letters. Holding down and wait takes too long and these letters are quite, or even very, frequently used.

There are "hacks" to get them on the keyboard, but..... well..... a hack is a hack....

It is also possible to let the dictionary handle them as "corrections", but that is not 100% either (impossible to distinguish between for instance words such as "har", "hår" and "här").

And yes, Apple should be made aware of this and let some Swedes try it out!

Some OT about population, yes Sweden is a bit like Australia (not the weather though). Most people, somewhere between 80 and 85%, live in the southern third (or 40%) of the country and along the coastline, in towns and cities.
However it is possible to live just about anywhere (except maybe the mountain tops) so good geographical coverage for mobile telephony is really useful.

In a city you can always use a lot of WIFI hotspots if you want mobile broadband, but out in the country that is not the case of course. And installing wired telephony and broadband is also difficult and much more expensive than mobile (in general).

Most homes, I think it is over 99%, have wired telefphone even if it is situated "in the middle of nowhere". But wired broadband, such as ADSL, is not possible for many of them. But mobile broadband is (or at least would be with a few more base stations).