 Review by roamer1 
Posted: 1.6 years ago
member for 7.4 years, 2772 visits, last login: 1.1 years ago
 Atlanta,Fulton,GA
 $53 per month (24 month contract)
 about 1 days
 "True broadband experience...in 3G areas at least"
 "Expensive; 3G isn't everywhere; not intended as primary connection"
 "Great if you don't mind paying for it"
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(ratings above consensus)
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(This review only covers Cingular "laptop" data service. If you're looking for info on Cingular voice service or PDAs, there are lots of forums that cover that -- the cell phone forum here on BBR, HowardForums, WirelessAdvisor, etc.)
I had a laptop data card and plan, as well as a separate voice line, with T-Mobile but dumped them for Cingular mainly because of limited coverage and so I could get faster speeds. I ordered an AirCard 860 and data plan online around 5 pm on a Thursday and got it the next morning. Activating the service and getting the AirCard working on my laptop was a breeze; once everything was set up I ran a speed test and got ~900 kb/s down and ~350 kb/s up -- the speeds I get pretty much everywhere there is 3G coverage. Cingular provides dynamic, public IPs (no NAT), and no ports are blocked that I'm aware of. Customer service/support is decent but not great; if you have access to a corporate discount, as I do, you'll get somewhat better support from the "business" support team.
The major downsides: a) 3G isn't everywhere -- it's still limited to larger cities, and even some large cities, such as Denver, don't have it yet; in areas without 3G, Cingular's (or possibly a roaming partner's) EDGE network takes over and provides speeds of 60-150 kb/s up and down, although with much higher latency; b) it's fairly expensive -- even with a discount I get because of where I work I'm still paying $53/mo + taxes/fees; c) it really isn't intended as a primary broadband connection -- while Cingular isn't anywhere near as aggressive as Verizon Wireless is about bumping off heavy users, they still reserve the right to do so.
If you can afford it, I say go for it... 
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