What is Digg?Sponsored by Travelzoo
Take Advantage of Ridiculously Low Holiday Airfares view!
travelzoo.com - Flights $52 and up for Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year. But move on it now.
68 Comments
- RetroRufio, on 05/27/2009, -1/+29I'll believe 7.2Mbps from AT&T when I see it... which will be never.
- AceyS, on 05/28/2009, -0/+17I don't care about faster, I care about having 3G when I should and not seeing full 3G or edge but not having any working data connection because the network is so overloaded.
/SF bay area AT&T rant - roguepirate, on 05/27/2009, -1/+13So the data plan will be an additional $40/month or $50/month?
- LOLMadness, on 05/28/2009, -0/+11Option C) Your Soul and your first born child
- kkthxbye, on 05/28/2009, -2/+117.2 has been avialiable in Denmark for over a year.
14,4 is allready being delievered, but there is no hardware support yet.
AT&T should get their ass moving. - e2superman, on 05/28/2009, -1/+10lol. So let me be clear. First I used to be an RF engineer for Nortel (thank you economy). Second, the upgrades they listed are mainly on the back side of the network to support more 3G enabled devices using more data all the time. This is not a "per connection" issue but more of a "net BW" per cell site / electronics.
Additionally I am having trouble seeing the need for any mobile device (except being tethered as a modem or as a modem directly) to use 7.2Mbps (975 kBytes/s). That is nearly 1MB per second. I doubt a phone would have much battery life to run at those xfer speeds and be doing anything useful with the bandwidth (besides large file transfers -- podcasts, hd video, etc) there is not a lot. Rendering times on websites are limited mainly by CPU and software on mobile devices and not usually BW even with the current iPhone. For all these reasons most phones not being used to tether would see no practical benefit from this. Knowing this I would assume that Apple (for this generation at least) and most other phones would hold off on higher priced chipsets and not adopt yet. HSPA modems for ATT would certainly get the upgrade (similar to how Sprint got Rev A EVDO 3G modems well before any phone came out). - MrChunks, on 05/28/2009, -3/+11Denmark is a much smaller country than the US and so setting up the infrastructure for fast mobile data is clearly going to be a much easier task in Denmark than the US.
- SPARTACVS, on 05/28/2009, -0/+7Option D) All of the above, as well as your left testicle.
- Solkre, on 05/28/2009, -0/+7I get an iPhone and they take my kid? Sold!
- fuxxx, on 05/28/2009, -0/+6Well, higher theoretical HSPA speeds actually means an increase in the total bandwidth allocation of a UMTS base station, decreasing the detrimental effects of too many users on the one base station.
I'm not talking about fibre backhaul here (although one would assume AT&T would upgrade this accordingly), but the maximum data capacity for all the clients connected to a UMTS bases station (but one of many major issues with UMTS). - inactive, on 05/28/2009, -0/+6Option Z) All of the above, as well as your right testicle.
- u8myfoood, on 05/28/2009, -0/+6I'll stick with technology that I can actually use, AT&T's current 3G is no where as great as they advertise currently, so what are the chances that ATT will actually provide DECENT 7.2Mbps connection on their phones?
So far, Sprint and Verizon seem to be the only carriers with great connection throughout most of the country. ATT on the other hand can't even seem to deliver 3G connection speeds advertised to the people of NYC, even at off peak hours, besides they are going to charge an addition premium for that service, similar to the iPhone 3G's additional $10 per month. - mohsenxp, on 05/28/2009, -0/+6Fly across the pond, we've been enjoying 7.2 for a couple of years now.
- mmos, on 05/28/2009, -0/+6Bunch of marketing bs, Edge is faster on the iphone when I'm in Paris France (and works in the freakin subway!) than 3G is in NY on my friends 3g iphone. AT&T is a joke. We're so f' behind in the US it's not funny.
- inactive, on 05/28/2009, -5/+10Yay, you and all 50 people in Denmark have 7.2 and 14.4.
- Twitchzor, on 05/28/2009, -0/+5The US doesn't have those kind of speeds yet? I'm actually very surprised. The tele operators in sweden have already started upgrading for the fourth generation (4G). We had 7.2Mbit over two years ago.
- inactive, on 05/28/2009, -0/+4The actual reason why the US doesn't have these speeds are because the companies prefer greed over innovation.
Bandwidth is ***** cheap, we all know it. If you can make someone pay $60 a month for only 15 down and 2 up, then you're raking in the profits.
If you moved it closer to something more realistic, say, 60 down and 8 up, charging the same, they'd still profit, but not as much. Lowering profit margins is a threat to them. - inactive, on 05/28/2009, -0/+4waiting for LTE thank you
- VitriolAndAngst, on 05/28/2009, -0/+4It's amazing to me that there are so many American's afflicted with the "best of all possible worlds" mentality. It's nice to be positive -- but the US is falling behind because charging more for less service makes money.
You can come up with lot's of excuses for why we don't have state-of-the-art, but we used to be state-of-the-art. Back then, the size of the country didn't stop our mail from reaching every house, and water and electricity. Of course we made it a priority then. Normally in business you have "Economies of Scale."
Is New York bigger than Sweden? No. They don't have 7.2 MB service. That's 12 or 15 Million people right there. If we talk about Manhattan only, it's more dense.
Of course, the "best of all possible worlds" people, would say that the tall buildings and having too many people in an area makes it cost even more. Forgetting Japan of course.
It's like debating people on Alternative Energy who have been educated by the Coal Industry -- you can't win. The expectations are low, and the ignorance is high. A free market can lower margins and bring better products through competition -- or it results in inefficient Monopolies.
Dis-informing the public, is a obviously cheaper than actually competing for people's money. Then they go out and protest a 2% tax increase on the wealthy vs. Paying 2% more in sales tax. If someone tells me that they aren't so sure about this "evolution theory" or that they think we should go to a Flat or "Fair" Tax system (which is just a cute way of saying Middle class pays for the wealthy through sales tax) then I know I'm dealing with someone who has lots of facts and they are all wrong.
Yes, America is being screwed because collectively, we are becoming dumber. Sorry if I'm not saying the "hooray" PR that makes us feel good about ourselves and shows my patriotism. But when you're kid has trouble learning how to read, you don't solve it by putting posters saying; "I M More Smart." - mesomorphicman, on 05/28/2009, -0/+3It's called greed and complacency, quiet users, and red-tape -- simple as that!!
Greed = the carriers only concern is profit, not customer satisfaction. Hate or love Apple, but if not for the iPhone the smart phone market would still be only business and RIM oriented. Apple has pushed other makers (and carriers) to push for higher standards, because now users want more.
Complacency = the carriers/makers thought, "why change, these sucksers are buying our old clam shell phones like hot potatoes?" And they had/have no innovation.
Users = We Americans on average are lazy and don't know there is better out there until someone (Apple) shows us there is better. And most foreign countries (Japan, Sweden, China, etc) are more innovative and forward thinking and the users get the best.
Red-tape = between the government and in-house company b.s. it's all a mess. - fuxxx, on 05/28/2009, -0/+3It's not like that.
The version (speed) of HSPA that AT&T decide to deploy really has no impact on the current network, except that the higher theoretical upper limit means that day to day connections will be generally faster.
This isn't like saying AT&T's GSM network is dreadful, so them deploying a 3G network will also be dreadful. It's like saying AT&T is upgrading their GSM network to support text messaging. You'll still have the same ***** reception and service and whatever, but it'll just have an additional feature. - my10cent, on 05/28/2009, -0/+3The US is in the data stoneage compared to Europe, we don't have anything here.
- overtoke, on 05/28/2009, -1/+4That is not why the USA is not more progressed. The USA is not more progressed because there are so many corrupt greedy pieces of ***** here. Look at the money we have spent in just the past 9 years and have NOTHING AT ALL to show for it.
And yet there are still people here who will not let go of the non-fact that the USA is the greatest country in the world. - filovirus, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2I would be happy with an upgrade from EDGE to 3G. So many areas are still on EDGE.
- FunkyWitDaSysTm, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2i live in nyc, and while some people complain about the speed, i've never had the 3g be anything but fast. then, att decided to pilot their 7.2mbps service in a part of midtown (wash. sq. pk to central park south, 8th ave to lexington ave), and it FLIES!!!
i don't know what problems other people are having, but as for myself (as well as the other iphone owners i know-- which is pretty much everyone i know), i suppose i'm lucky. lucky to live where att's 7.2mbps works, and have it work for me. - fuxxx, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2Well be prepared to wait for years while LTE matches the network of current 3G and GSM networks.
Hell, 3G networks are still playing catchup to GSM many years later.
I have no idea of LTE specifications but I really hope it doesn't have the same coverage problems that have effectively prevented UMTS from ever matching GSM's coverage penetration.
I live in metro Sydney, so really I should have 3G coverage everywhere - but I made the decision to turn 3G off my iphone because the lower data speeds are entirely worth the constant network congestion issues and poor coverage of the 3G network. - christinme, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2what good is a faster connection when I can't even get a 3g connection in the first place and I live in the middle of Atlanta. It is so funny to look at their brochures and see the massive red that covers atlanta and then turn your phone on in the store and only get a edge connection. So sad.
- Squirgle, on 05/28/2009, -2/+4US also has 306 million people to Sweden's 9 million.
If you have 34 times to population and only need to cover 21 times the area you guys should be well ahead! - MadHarvey, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2It is well known that American communication networks are inferior to many other countries.
Many of our companies had a vested interested in limiting our broadband capabilities--particularly mobile broadband. These included land-line telephone companies, cable companies, MPAA/RIAA, etc.
When corporations resist the advancement of technology instead of adapting, everyone loses. We will feel the effects of that resistance for awhile. - MrChunks, on 05/28/2009, -5/+7See my reply to kkthxbye's comment. The US is massive, Sweden is significantly less massive. You try covering a 9,629,091 km² landmass with 3G/4G antennas. Sweden has an area of 449,964 km².
- Radan, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2Should be nice to see when the corresponding 4G gets released. We had a lecture by some guy from Ericsson here in Lund who told us about how they already have working prototypes of 1 Gbit/s networks. The problem is that it requires some rather expensive hardware and it's entirely based on the IPv6 protocol so it can't be deployed before at least the final stages of the IPv4 protocol.
However, they said that they will most likely be able to provide working 50-100 Mbit/s networks in the coming years. All it takes now is that the cell phone makers adapt to this new technology. - AmusedToDeath, on 05/29/2009, -0/+2I don't get all the ATT complaining either. They must just have bad mojo when it comes to cell phone reception, because I never have problems anywhere. A friend of mine sold her 1st gen iPhone even though she loved it because she claimed she couldn't get any reception in the area where she lived. So I took my iPhone over to her house and was getting 4-5 bars consistently and typical to above average transfer rates. I think some people just like to complain.
- zbeast, on 05/28/2009, -1/+3well with a 5 gig download cap and crappy basic phone service..
What do I need with higher download speeds.
When I have a hard time making a phone call most of the time.
AT&T more Dead Zones in more places. - Radan, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2Don't bother. Just look at his comment history. He's just a troll.
- PrometheusBorn, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2I don't have any problem with Apple using AT&T. I wouldn't switch from my iPhone because of the network. People have accused me of being an iPhone fanboy because of that. I couldn't understand.
Then I went to NYC this weekend and experienced 3G there. Holy crap. I felt like I was back on EDGE except with periodic 'can't connect to internet server' messages periodically. It was so inconsistent. I feel bad for those living in cities that AT&T can't properly support.
I'm glad I'm back in Syracuse where 3G works perfect. - SpookyET, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2I'll believe it when I see it too. USA is 8 years behind Japan and about 6 behind Europe. In Europe, you have video calling over the 3G network for 35 euro cents a minute. AT&T's 3G network is a little above EDGE in terms of speed. They constantly bitch about iPhone apps which MAY use too much bandwidth. I remember reading about a conference where everyone had iPhones. The entire 3G network in that area went down because it was over solicited.
- BerenTW, on 05/28/2009, -0/+2exactly my point. Why are the rest of the americans complaining that it is the size of the country then. Oh their heads are up their asses... that is all.
- Zippo, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1Man, even Rogers in Canada has 7.2Mbps in some parts.
- daemonx, on 05/28/2009, -0/+17.2 Mbps !!!! wow is that fast or what. Here in Singapore we've been having 14Mbps for a while and tests are currently being done for a 21Mbps...Ok,the devices which can take advantage might not be available yet but still,US of A,you've got a long way to go
Oh and did i tell you,3.5G works in the MRT (subway) as well.. - inactive, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1That's faster than a majority of home connections in the US.
- yellowsnowcone, on 05/28/2009, -2/+3The US is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind everyone else. Most other markets have already deployed HSDPA and it's noticeably faster than vanilla 3G.
However, the only way you'll ever see 7.2 is if you're standing right next to the base station and you're the only one using it. - AmusedToDeath, on 05/29/2009, -0/+1Yes, with this improved speed you'll hit your 5gb cap in 30 minutes instead of an hour.
- my10cent, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1Det er fordi Danmark Styrer for vildt
Viva Le Denmark - Foskey, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1Great. But, this tells me that the two iphones I just bought a week and a half ago won't even support it. Which is garbage. If they offered a decent upgrade option it wouldn't aggravate me so much. However, I think they should really be working on something a little different. Like say, oh I don't know, the damn battery that tends to die between noon and 3PM! You know, because I enjoy wondering around with car charger, wall charger, and battery pack every where I go. Might as well call it a power tethered iphone!
- MikeOSX, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1My DSL isn't even that fast yet. Good to see AT&T has their priorities straight.
- Deepmist, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1When is the new iPhone getting announced? I'm thinking i'll wait if a new one comes in the next few months.
- spoonchucks, on 05/28/2009, -2/+3Probably capped at 100MB /mo too... You enjoy that.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1Here is a more informative article on this subject; http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/05/27/att-deplo ...
It appears that this might pave the way for video conferencing on the iPhone. I certainly has the circuits to encode and decode two video streams. My guess is they will have to cameras on the next Phone, to facilitate video of the speaker (or at least a screen that swivels). - mohsenxp, on 05/28/2009, -1/+2unlimited actually. I do enjoy it.
Anyway even after rinsing out YouTube on the bus the most I've capped is 850MB in a month. There's plenty o' WIFI around where I live. My contract gives me free access to the city's main WIFI provider also so there's hardly a need for me to actually use 3G for internet.
Good times ;)
ps. It's fast enough. Any faster and it'll be wasted. The iPhone's processor needs to be upgraded first. Safari isn't slowed down by the bandwidth (lack of) but the processor load times. - jjustin01, on 05/28/2009, -0/+1Gerdie gerdie gerdie, gerdie gerdie. Gerrrrrrrdie!
Viva Le Switzerland -
Show 51 - 71 of 71 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is