T-Mobile USA is readying an expansion of its HSPA+ network deployments into a handful of cities in the Northeast. The move comes as other carriers, notably Sprint and AT&T, play around with their mix of LTE and LTE alternatives, including HSPA+ and WiMax, to find the fastest way to market with 4G in the cheapest, most efficient way possible.
According to a T-Mobile USA press release:
As the company continues to aggressively broaden its HSPA+ network in the New York City metropolitan area, including New Jersey and Long Island, T-Mobile announces the further build-out and widespread availability — right now — of its super-fast network in adjoining regions, including Upstate New York (Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse), Connecticut (Hartford, New Haven, Milford and Stamford) and Providence, R.I. Already live in Philadelphia, as well the Washington, D.C. suburbs, T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network will expand into Boston and Washington, D.C. in the coming weeks, further enhancing the Northeast corridor with 4G speeds. In addition, customers in Memphis, Tenn., and Las Vegas, also now can stay connected on T-Mobile’s high-speed mobile broadband network.
Using the HSPA+ wireless technology standard, the T-Mobile network currently delivers theoretical peak download speeds of 21Mbps. T-Mobile’s HSPA+ mobile broadband network now covers more than 30 million Americans. With an aggressive build-out plan, T-Mobile expects to make further significant leaps in the coming weeks and months to deliver 4G speeds in 100 major metropolitan areas, covering 185 million people in the U.S. by the end of this year.
Connnected Planet’s take,
Kevin Fitchard:
Engineers all over the U.S. are probably pulling out their hair, as is AT&T. Let’s face it, 4G has really become just a marketing term. AT&T can complain all it wants, but remember LTE wasn’t supposed to be 4G either. Neither was WiMax. If you want to point the finger, blame Sprint. They started using the term to market their now defunct Xohm service years back when its first WiMax network went live in Baltimore.
You can’t really blame T-Mobile. The way 4G is marketed today, it’s all about download speed to the handset or laptop. In that narrow view of 4G (let’s call it 4-lower-cased-g), T-Mobile has every right to latch onto the 4G marketing hype regardless of the underlying technology. Once you get past 2 Mb/s to a handset or a USB dongle — which both HSPA+ and LTE can readily deliver — there really isn’t much of a difference from the consumer’s perspective between technologies. To the operator there might be a huge difference in operational efficiencies and network investment, but since when did the customer care about such things?
4G (with an upper-cased G) was supposed to be more than just fast downloads. It was supposed to herald a new era of mobile data services in which bandwidth is cheap and plentiful enough that operators don’t have to be miserly with their capacity. It was supposed to open the door to a mobile broadband experience that approximates that of the wireline Internet and creates reams of new mobile services unimaginable a year ago. Regardless of the underlying technology, the idea of 4G was one centered on revolution, not the mere amping up of today’s smartphones. The carriers stopped talking about the 4G big picture a long time ago (or more accurately, we in our never-ending quest for faster YouTube downloads won’t let them talk about it). So if 4G’s definition has just become more bits to the handset, let T-Mobile toss out whatever term it likes.
That’s our take on this. Let us know what you think in the comments section below:
I second your statements. As a fully-formed international businessman who KNOWS these things, it\’s infuriating to see in the USA the terms 4G and 3G bandied about as if they have no meaning.
The total infrastructure change underwritten by 4G is the result of (by international definition) it delivering in excess of 200Mb/s– NOT just exceeding 2.000001Mb/s (which is 3Gs purview). However– here\’s the truth: I\’d be shocked if any American carrier is delivering better than 1Mb/s, which isn\’t even 2.5G!
It\’s the same self-serving, \"feel good\" crap we\’re told when Detroit coos about their \"world class\" automobile… which can\’t even navigate an \"S\" curve and has ANSI (non-metric) fasteners. Oh, but it LOOKS shiny and sparkly and can SYNC audio! And it\’s got 28.3 airbags per square inch so it must be \"safe.\"
So much effluvium.
Cheers
Lee
I too, second your thoughts. I love T-Mobile as a carrier, but I am disappointed in its advancement of what basically is a falsehood, and its slow, creeping steps toward the behaviors of top tier carriers Verizon and at&t.
The ‘truth’ if it ever existed at all among mobile carrier claims began its trip ’round the bend with the claims of unlimited data provision and extended coverage, promulgated largely by Verizon initially, then by at&t and Sprint in response. It’s hard to argue against their tactics from an outcome perspective, which seems to be all that financial analysts care about, as consumers largely bought the hype. Or, the lies. You choose the appropriate label.
The whole ‘Windows vs Apple’ fanboy thing seems to pale in contrast to the accolades heaped on Verizon by its clueless customers. I’m convinced that they belong on the bottom of the heap amongst the top four, based upon such factors as customer service and upon technical merit. But, what do I know? For they sit atop the group, and likely always will…
Good day to all,
I would like you to know that I’m super duper happy as I have a super duper fast connection provided by tmobile now. I used speedtest.net in my old & dilapidated G1 and I got 6.5mbps then 2.6 uploads in Houston then when I tether it in my netbook then use again the speedtest.net I got this http://www.speedtest.net/result/852656301.png
Its mind blowing as I hit one time the 16mbps but I didnt recorded it but the 14mbps u have it.Then my latency_ping are between 45-60 in my location-shadow creek ranch in pearland ( a bit outside of downtown houston ) then 70-150 in other locations.I did the test between 9:30am-10:00am as many people starting to use the service as my clear if that time of usage will be horrible.
I have CLEAR now in the house that I\’m paying for $40/month as I bought the modem,so no leasing fee for me just $40/month. That internet of mine hit the highest is 16mbps in early in the morning between (2-5am) but before or after that time I will hit only 3-6mbps download then 800-900kbps upload unlike tmobile from 1mbps-3mbps upload.
I\’m always travelling around Texas & I found out that Austin,Houston,Dallas & San Antonio has the highest download speed to compare to any cities when I compare in Westcoast & Eastcoast cities.
Then if ever they will make more fiber optic backhaul they can minimize the latency problems others have now.I used to have that problem in my location but now its GONE.
I\’m not the kind of person wasting time to bash any company but now I will because I was with AT&T and they are full of lies company as I had my iphone 3gs & my wife & we never seen more than 2mbps connection the whole of Texas or whenever I was in California or New York. All PEOPLE WHO WILL SAY THEY SEE 3MBPS OR BEYOND (its not real), THEY ARE AT&T PEOPLE OR JUST ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO DEFEND AT&T EVEN AT&T DOESN\’T CARE FOR THEM. Mine is real experience with my wife… I work in IT company & I always use the one that I think is not just cool but I can tweak & use the heck of it whatever it can offer unlike iphone that YOU can just unlocked & jailbreak (like what i do) but android & windows can be hack & put lots of fast & best ROM that apple iphone cant do. Our iphone is now an mp3 player in our cars, wants some pictures? Then my wife using the EVO as her company pay for her monthly then she just bought it from Sprint. Its a sweet phone but the speed is not consistent & theres time it will be switching a lot of times from 4g to 3g. But still wayyyyy better than verizon & AT&T. Take note, only Tmobile & Sprint didn\’t have the cap now they will just throttle you if your beyond 5gb but no more paying overages (Tmobile then sprint in 4g mode). Can Verizon & AT&T do that? Nope & never because AT&T made the worse decision in lowering the internet usage to 2gb for $25 (Tmobile has $20 for unlimited no cap with super duper fast internet 16mbps versus 1mbps by AT&T) then Verizon is thinking now to do that also as Sprint & Tmobile will go for no capping.
Theres a lot of fanboys especially in APPLE stuff like iphone that has the basic stuff that was available 10 years ago but Steve Jobs will say magical & unbelievable, he\’s the no. 1 liar in the world (I have a friend who still working in APPLE) I\’m just new here in Texas as I\’m from California & work with IT company near APPLE. But Texas is the best place to make money now (hehe) then cheaper way of living… He said to me that Steve Jobs is very good in marketing hype but he\’s not the real guy who\’s thinking & making apple stuff to work, he\’s just the marketing guy of APPLE. Then all of his components are made mostly of asus & samsung (not them as other blindly knows) only software & design are theirs, I can attest to that, so wheres APPLE real product-NONE. They are just a big marketing & design company, if you don\’t believe go to California (to their main headquarter) see if they building any pieces of material to use for their products – none, most of what they are doing is just software & how to market their product. I was there with my friend & I know what I\’m saying. Ask ASUS & SAMSUNG then FOXCONN, they will tell you that no parts are made by apple, they will give the design then what materials will use ( APPLE ) then they will wait for delivery then they will use their technology & manpower to build APPLE products ( FOXCONN ).
FANBOYISM towards APPLE is not bad but you should know the reality of what the company you like & love what they really offer to you & if they lying to you.
Back to Tmobile, they are the company to watch for & they are not like AT&T that will make advertising 1st before they will do the action, as tmobile will do the work & everything before they will announce in a simple way unlike AT&T like APPLE, they love marketing hype like shortage of Iphone in the 1st day as they know how many people will go & get them but they will not release many units to show they don\’t have unit to sell, believe me or not those iphone & ipad was made already & its millions now in FOXCONN factory but they will release only hundreds thousands then it will show to their system they don\’t have stock anymore even they have more, for the people to be more excited & feel the APPLE products are so good that people lining up & their hysteria in getting in store or online, thats MARKETING 101, YOU HAVE TO MAKE PEOPLE EXCITE IN YOUR PRODUCTS THEN THEY WILL THINK YOUR PRODUCTS IS SO GOOD THAT PEOPLE NEEDS TO WAIT FOR LONG TIME.
I hope people will get it now as I want you to be more well aware of what those companies been doing to you, they making you follow them even they are shortchanging you.
I want to share more my ideas, experience & knowledge about all these stuff – just don\’t go with the hype, test drive it – tweak it & if you feel it has everything u want & its more cheaper – go for it… you can email me at sir1honda@aol.com ( i can give you the best advice in telecommunications & computers stuff if I have enough time to answer )
To all those people bashing each other because you like this or that, think first & I suggest that research in google then don\’t defend what you have that you feel is not giving you the real deal. WE LIVE ONCE NOT TWICE , LIVE TO THE FULLEST ( get the best stuff that you think is appropriate & can make things more easier to you not just LOOKS & BRAND NAME of the products.
Always take care gurls & guys… GOD BLESS YALL…