Sprint and Verizon already have it in Charlotte. So does T-Mobile (though some debate it). Now AT&T says it, too, is bringing fourth-generation (4G) cellphone service to its Queen City customers. The company, now trying to merge with T-Mobile, sent out a press release this morning saying it would have Mayor Anthony Foxx joining AT&T and Charlotte Center City Partners folks at a 10:30 a.m. press conference at Marshall Park on Friday.
According to AT&T, the announcement will include "key network improvements planned for this year" in Charlotte, including "a focus on faster data speeds and extra mobile broadband capacity at key venues." They plan to have the new Motorola Atrix and HTC Inspire 4G phones on hand to demonstrate.
I guess with Verizon finally grabbing a share of the white-hot iPhone market this year and just now rolling out its first 4G phone, the HTC Thunderbolt, AT&T would be crazy to sit still.
It's not real 4G either, it's HSPA+ the same 4G strategy as T-Mobile. AT&T launched the Atrix with major problems, the upload side of HSPA+ is disable and won't be fixed until later this month. Users were getting dial up speed for uploads.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see. "4G" seems to be more of a marketing term than any technical spec, these days. I thought AT&T already had deployed a lot of HSPA+ and was getting ready to put LTE in place over the next couple of years. LTE peaks out pretty close to what the standards folk consider to be "real" 4G, I think.
ReplyDeleteYMMV by location, but in many places AT&T's 3G is somewhat faster than what some other companies call 3G. When I have run speed tests of AT&T 3G on my iPhone in my part of Mecklenburg, I get around 2 Mbps down and 256k up, which compares favorably with a lot of wired DSL in people's homes. "Real" 4G is supposed to be about 50 times as fast.
Whatever they are doing will be an improvement in capacity for those of us who will be sticking with 3G for a while, it sounds like.
4G, by definition, is +100Mbps as defined by the ITU. However, they recently caved to marketing pressure to mean whatever a company wants.
ReplyDeleteAnd while we're here, ya'll hear about AT&T, Time Warner and CenturyLink's new law that recently passed the House banning new community broadband installations?
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/28/nc_muni_broadband_restrictions_gets_final_house_ok/?
Hell with the 4G. Why can't ATT fix dead zones on Providence Rd., around Matthews/Mint Hill and off of Shamrock Drive in Charlotte
ReplyDeleteThe only difference is the extra $30 you'll pay on top of your 3G plan.
ReplyDeleteI love my Iphone.
ReplyDeleteAT&T's HSPA+ is already capable of the 4G speed claims of Sprint and T-Mobile. However, LTE will be a entirely new and improved network. Until device makers have perfected the LTE technology and drastically improved the battery life, 4G is irrelevant. It'll be another year before LTE is stable and reliable enough to really matter.
ReplyDeleteLTE on Verizon HTC Thunderbolt is a battery drainer b/c LTE is used conjunction with CDMA for voice service. VZW isn't ready yet for VoLTE, if LTE is the only sole radio turned on the Thunderbolt, battery life would be fine. It's like turning off your Bluetooth to save battery life.
ReplyDeleteAT&T has rolled out a few things in Charlotte as a test market. The 3G has definitley gotten better since I got my iPhone in June 2009.
ReplyDeleteBut I've never been able to connect to their big wifi patch near the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
At&T is supposedly going to LTE.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with AJ ATT first have a look to providence Rd. then think anything else.
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Yeah i heard too that it wouldnt be the real 4G but well i dont know..
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