AT&T says 3G network to be completed by June
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.
"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.
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In other news...
Something like, say, video chatting perhaps?
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.)
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!
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.
Any word on which markets?
Good question. What defines a market?
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.
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.
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.
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.....
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.
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.
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!
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.
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).