Likely liars: AT&T says 3G network will reach Wi-Fi speeds by 2009
By Danny Mendez
Ever since AT&T and the iPhone tied the knot, the wireless carrier can’t seem to stay off the headlines. Here’s another one: AT&T says its 3G network will reach Wi-Fi speeds by 2009, but we’re skeptical about the effort.
In a recent test, Computerworld determined AT&T had the “best” 3G network. Unfortunately, the test was only conducted in the New York area, and it completely ignored T-Mobile’s new 3G effort. But AT&T doesn’t care if it’s currently the “best”, it’s going to push the network to the limit, promising to reach Wi-Fi speeds by 2009, says Fortune.
Wi-Fi networks run at about 6.5 Mbps to 20 Mbps, but we’re unsure if AT&T will make the goal. There are tons of factors that affect network speeds, and one of these factors is reception.
Like we said yesterday, AT&T may have the “best” and fastest network in the New York area, but the carrier’s reception really, really sucks. In Southern California and much of the rest of the US, AT&T is the carrier to avoid since joining the iPhone bandwagon (AKA AT&T) typically means giving up all reception indoors.
AT&T says it has a working version of its network running at 7.2 Mbps in the lab, but AppleInsider points out that is about double the theoretical throughput of HSPA, the technology the company uses for 3G.
We’ll just have to see what happens, but if AT&T delivers on its promise, you can definitely bet Verizon and the others will answer with something interesting.
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