A 3G iPhone and a Growing 3G Network for AT&T
22 February 2008The single biggest complaint about Apple’s iPhone seems to be the slow speed and uncertainty of the AT&T network that it uses.
AT&T and Apple have some sort of long term deal (exact terms were never announced) but they are pretty much married except for Wi-Fi and perhaps WiMAX. That made AT&T’s announcement last week that it planned a major expansion of its long awaited 3G network a significant development.
While much of the press coverage lately has been on deployment of 4G networks - mainly WiMAX and LTE, AT&T plans to deploy 3G, which it calls “wireless broadband” service to over 80 additional cities in the US this year, bringing total coverage by year-end to 350 markets.
More than 1,500 cell sites are to be added nationwide.
AT&T says its 3G network now delivers typical download speeds ranging between 0.6 Mbps-1.4 Mbps. It boosted upload speeds to 0.5 Mbps-0.8 Mbps to let laptop users send large files faster and to take full advantage of the latest interactive Internet and business applications.
A Clear Path to 4G
AT&T’s wireless unit president and CEO Ralph de la Vega said, “We’re also planning for the future by establishing a clear path to a 4G network that will meet the needs of our customers for years to come.”
Two phenomena are driving AT&T and other wireless network operators to offer higher data speed. One is the surge of portable devices that come with Wi-Fi built in, led by the seemingly ubiquitous iPhone and iPod touches. AT&T is appealing to that market by offering free Wi-Fi access at the company’s 17,000 or so Wi-Fi hotspots to subscribers of its wireline broadband service.
The other driver is the perceived threat of WiMAX and its promise to replicate the wireline broadband experience that consumers have at home - universal accessibility with any device connecting to any Web site and able to use any Internet service, not just those the cellco offers.
Of course, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile and the other mobile phone operators are also working to increase their mobile broadband speeds.
AT&T’s wireless network is based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technologies. AT&T, ignoring the as yet unproven WiMAX and aiming to use the as yet undeveloped LTE as its 4G technology, calls GSM “the most open and widely used wireless network platform in the world” and says GSM supports 86% of the people worldwide who use wireless devices. And, it says, GSM positions AT&T to continually adopt next-generation technologies such as LTE.
AT&T’s main competitor Verizon Wireless has recently said it would open its wireless network fully to third party devices that match its interoperability tests and plans on using LTE as its next generation 4G network technology.
“Fast wireless broadband is the foundation for a whole range of new and emerging applications that our customers are adopting, including everything from social networking to sending live video and large business files,” said de la Vega.
He said the increased speeds would allow AT&T customers to do more with their wireless devices, “wherever they may be.”
AT&T’s Mobile Broadband Speeds
Download0.6 Mbps - 1.4 Mbps
Upload0.5 Mbps - 0.8 Mbps
AT&T, the largest US mobile and wireline telco, said deployment of HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) this year is the next step in the evolution of its 3G network, with further enhancements and speed boosts expected in the near future. This year’s HSUPA deployment will complete the transition of the AT&T 3G network to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) standards. That, AT&T says, will be the only full transition by any wireless provider in the US to this latest generation of wireless broadband capabilities.
Note: Wikipedia says HSUPA, a name that Nokia created, has uplink speeds up to 5.76 Mbps. It’s also called Enhanced Uplink (EUL).
AT&T says the evolution towards HSPA+ and LTE technologies “will enable the company to continue to deliver higher speeds and capacity in the years to come.”
“The capabilities of 3G standards will continue to expand over the next several years, enabling us to stay well ahead of our customers’ broadband needs. And looking even further into the future, our existing technologies provide the ideal platform for a smooth transition to next-generation platforms,” de la Vega said.
Wireless Watch reports that it’s Verizon Wireless’ accelerated plans for deploying LTE that has spurred AT&T into bringing its LTE timescales forward from 2011 to 2009 and stepping up its roll-out plans for UMTS/HSPA data services.
AlcaLu a Winner
The newsweekly says Alcatel-Lucent (AlcaLu?) is a big winner from AT&T’s plans, having been selected by AT&T to supply much of the gear for the network expansion and upgrade.
Lucent was one of three suppliers chosen for UMTS by Cingular, as AT&T Mobility was then called, along with Siemens and Ericsson. Recently there has been speculation that AT&T Mobility would reduce its dependence on AlcaLu, so this latest deal will be a major relief for the merged vendor.
AT&T also touts the global compatibility that GSM technology offers. It says AT&T devices work in 196 countries and regions, more than 90% of the planet. All GSM customers in those countries can also roam on the AT&T network.
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