Comparison off all major 3G and 4G network speeds

FreakyLocz14 · Dec 14, 2010

I conducted tests using my Sprint EPIC 4G, my friend's T-Mobile MyTouch 4G, my other friend's T-Mobile Vibrant, my own AT&T Backflip, my cousin's Droid X and his Pantech UML290 for Verizon.

THE RESULTS:
Average 3G (EVDO Rev. A): 800 Kbps - 2 Mbps down, 400 Kbps - 800 Kbps up
Average 3G (HSDPA 7.2): 900 Mbps - 3 Mbps down, 600 Mbps - 1 Mbps up
Average 4G (Sprint WiMax) : 4 Mbps - 8 Mbps down, 900 Kbps - 3 Mbps up
Average 4G (T-Mobile HSPA+): 3 Mbps - 7 Mbps, 800 Kbps - 2 Mbps up
Average 4G (Verizon LTE) 5 Mbps - 10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps - 4 Mbps up

Some iPhone fanboy claims that AT&T's 3G network can be as fast as Sprint's 4G network are partially true, but it takes AT&T 3G's best day to match what Sprint 4G gets on its worst day.

Rigmaster · Dec 15, 2010

ATT crawls along. VZW LTE won't be as fast when they get more users. Took someone 32 mins to hit the data cap too. Ouch!

BenChase7 · Dec 15, 2010

Rigmaster said:
ATT crawls along. VZW LTE won't be as fast when they get more users. Took someone 32 mins to hit the data cap too. Ouch!

Yea.. thats a big ouch. Having a data cap on a 4G network spells trouble.

Rigmaster · Dec 15, 2010

Sprint should be marketing the value harder. The speeds are not so drastic that people will just blindly dump money. Also don't think VZW did itself any favors by not having a LTD phone at launch.

FreakyLocz14 · Dec 15, 2010

Rigmaster said:
Sprint should be marketing the value harder. The speeds are not so drastic that people will just blindly dump money. Also don't think VZW did itself any favors by not having a LTD phone at launch.

Sprint didn't either. Sprint had laptop 3G/4G USB sticks and cards first before the EVO 4G came out. T-Mobile's webRocket also launched before the G2.

Rigmaster · Dec 16, 2010

True, but Sprint was still first. VZW better be launching with LTE iPhart.

RiverOfIce · Dec 16, 2010

Just a few things.

1.) Burst speed from a speed app/website is not throughput speed. Never think that 1 test on 1 testing app/website means anything. It is like getting on a random piece of road, flooring your car for 1/4 of a mile and proclaiming that is actual speeds for every road in the world.

2.) The actual speed of your connection will depend on many, many, many things. Here is an short non inclusive list. Battery level of the phone, radio brand, tower state, tower load, phone state, phone load, interference from external sources, distance and speed from tower.

3.) You can not compare usb radio to a cellphone radio. Usb radio can use up 10x the power a cellphone radio can use. Usb radios also do not have large signal blocking screens on one side and a human hand on the other. Usb radios also drain a power from either a plugged in or battery powered laptop. In each case the amount of power is not regulated by the laptop. In cellphone, all radios have to carefully monitored because a cellphone is expected to last more then just a few hours. Secondly, a the amount of radiation that is allowed from a cellphone and from a usb is completely different, allowing the usb to have about 3x the radiation level, then a cellphone. This is because the cellphone has to be held up to your head, where the usb is not.

4.) A lot of the testing apps/websites see a 3g/4g signal and deliver the smallest package possible, which creates a false reading because 1mb delivered .50 seconds, is completely different then 10mb delivered in 10 seconds. When you give a small file the burst speeds can download it too quickly for a complete reading.

5.) A lot of wireless companies and software uses server sided compression proxy to compression images to smaller sizes. If you are using a internet speed test that uses a image for the file. The test will only think you are transferring the uncompressed image, but the image will be compressed before it is sent. So 7mb will be cut down to 3mb. The test can not tell the difference making the speed reading a lot higher then it actually is.

FreakyLocz14 · Dec 17, 2010

RiverOfIce said:
Just a few things.

1.) Burst speed from a speed app/website is not throughput speed. Never think that 1 test on 1 testing app/website means anything. It is like getting on a random piece of road, flooring your car for 1/4 of a mile and proclaiming that is actual speeds for every road in the world.

2.) The actual speed of your connection will depend on many, many, many things. Here is an short non inclusive list. Battery level of the phone, radio brand, tower state, tower load, phone state, phone load, interference from external sources, distance and speed from tower.

3.) You can not compare usb radio to a cellphone radio. Usb radio can use up 10x the power a cellphone radio can use. Usb radios also do not have large signal blocking screens on one side and a human hand on the other. Usb radios also drain a power from either a plugged in or battery powered laptop. In each case the amount of power is not regulated by the laptop. In cellphone, all radios have to carefully monitored because a cellphone is expected to last more then just a few hours. Secondly, a the amount of radiation that is allowed from a cellphone and from a usb is completely different, allowing the usb to have about 3x the radiation level, then a cellphone. This is because the cellphone has to be held up to your head, where the usb is not.

4.) A lot of the testing apps/websites see a 3g/4g signal and deliver the smallest package possible, which creates a false reading because 1mb delivered .50 seconds, is completely different then 10mb delivered in 10 seconds. When you give a small file the burst speeds can download it too quickly for a complete reading.

5.) A lot of wireless companies and software uses server sided compression proxy to compression images to smaller sizes. If you are using a internet speed test that uses a image for the file. The test will only think you are transferring the uncompressed image, but the image will be compressed before it is sent. So 7mb will be cut down to 3mb. The test can not tell the difference making the speed reading a lot higher then it actually is.

For point one, we ran several tests in several different locations. That is why I reported the speeds in ranges rather than in one figure.

As for your other points: I'll for sure be testing VZW's LTE network once a compatible handset launches. Until then, those two USB sticks are the only things we had to work with.

eieio · Dec 17, 2010

One of Sprints hamstring for faster speed results is the artificial cap placed on the devices..

Wimax uncapped devices are capable of much better speeds.. I am surprised in all the modifications and rooting being done this cap has not been removed.

Fonseca · Dec 17, 2010

eieio said:
One of Sprints hamstring for faster speed results is the artificial cap placed on the devices..

Wimax uncapped devices are capable of much better speeds.. I am surprised in all the modifications and rooting being done this cap has not been removed.

What is the point of the cap anyways?

RiverOfIce · Dec 18, 2010

Fonseca said:
What is the point of the cap anyways?

Battery life mostly. If you uncap, it will not really effect that total speed due to internet natural cap.

Rigmaster · Dec 18, 2010

Want to have fun with speeds. Go to mall in Langehorne, PA and ask the Sprint and TMo people to do a test for your biz. The TMo people jump right at it until you ask them to stop when data cap is reached. TMo says no cap until you ask them to show you a contract without it. Sprint rep will smile.

Comparison off all major 3G and 4G network speeds

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