iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 Reviews:
 ·Comcast
| All about the backhaul... HSUPA is awesome for uploads. Gizmodo's recent tests confirmed this. Though it also seems that, when properly tuned (Verizon) EvDO can get some pretty cool speeds as well. Sprint's service seems tuned for downloads OTOH...
...but the big problem here is congestion, both frequency-wise and backhaul-wise. If you're not devoting a ton of spectrum to data, everyone has to share that spectrum, and you gotta spread it thinly.
Additionally, if you're not providing enough bandwidth to the tower, you're not going to get enough bandwidth to the user. Last summer, frequent use of an AT&T aircard gave speeds max'ing out at 1.3 Mbps, comparable to Qwest 1.5/896 DSL, except with more latency. The card can do 7.2 Mbps, and the network can do 3.6 + HSUPA. Does it? Nope.
Sprint OTOH seems to be utilizing their EvDO service for maximum possible downlink speeds in many areas. It's probably easier on them since EvDO operates on 1.25 MHz channels, rather than 5 MHz slices required for HSPA. Still, I can get a 1.2-1.5 Mbps Sprint connection anywhere with a decent EvDO signal, whereas AT&T doesn't have 3G around here, and where they do speeds are a bit less. The Sprint stats are from using a phone; aircards would be even faster.
Honestly, I'd be happy as a clam if I got 2500/1000 speeds over EvDO, which is very possible. Same thing with HSPA on AT&T. But they have to work out the backhaul problem first. Case in point: Xohm delayed due to lack of backhaul. |
