Go find a T-Mobile tower, stand under it with wifi turned off, and run Speedtest. If you don't get much better than your thumbnail shows, you have HSPA+21. If you have HSPA+42 you should see download speeds of 10-20 Mbps or better.
An easier solution would be to call a local T-Mobile store and ask them if your area has HSPA+42.
It won't say "HSPA+:42" or anything, those numbers don't correlate to the theoretical speed.
HSPAP:15 or HSPA+:15 is the fastest I'd get on the GNex. I don't know if DC connections report the same, there are just two of them? Or if they show up differently. It also seems to me like since the update to 4.2, the phone will "drop" to HSDPA:8 or 10 when the connection is idle? So I rarely see the HSPAP:15 status anymore, though I still get the same download speeds I've always had.
I think mainly you'll know you are getting DC connections by comparing to a phone that is HSPA+ 21. If, in the same place at the same time, you get speeds that are 50-200%+ faster, you are likely getting a DC connection.
Or if you get speeds >10Mbps, you can probably safely conclude you are connecting as fast as is possible.
Starting sometime next year T-Mobile will be rolling out their next generation LTE, which will be lots faster than the LTE offered by the competitors. But you can't get a phone that can take advantage of it yet, so it's just a promise for the future.
Here is a list of the 163 markets where T-Mobile has HSPA+ 42. And it does appear that New Jersey (aside from the NYC area) and Delaware are not on the list. At the same time, this list is not current as some areas appear to have been upgraded since this list was compiled.
Here is a list of the 163 markets where T-Mobile has HSPA+ 42. And it does appear that New Jersey (aside from the NYC area) and Delaware are not on the list. At the same time, this list is not current as some areas appear to have been upgraded since this list was compiled.
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