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The Fastest Networks

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Dec 15, 2010, 2:38 PM   by Philip Berne

We take a test drive on the fastest cellular data networks available today, including Verizon Wireless' LTE and Sprint's WiMAX. Think you know which is the fastest?

The 4G battles are raging. All of the largest nationwide carriers have their armies lined up for the data war that will last through the next year. Verizon has launched its LTE network; Sprint and Clear are pushing WiMAX; and T-Mobile and AT&T are both backing HSPA+, at least for the near-term. For this in-depth look, we performed extensive tests on all of the fastest data networks available throughout one of the largest metro areas to support the best that the major carriers have to offer.

Methodology

For the last week I've been testing the fastest data networks throughout the massive Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex area. The metroplex is an ideal testing zone for cellular data. It consists of two large downtown areas in Dallas and Fort Worth. There are also smaller urban areas within the city limits. The metroplex twin cities share one of the world's largest airports. Mostly, though, there are vast suburban towns spread out to all sides and between the city limits of Fort Worth and Dallas.

All of the four major national carriers have launched their next generation services here. Verizon Wireless offers LTE, Sprint and Clear offer WiMAX, and AT&T and T-Mobile both offer HSPA+ networking. Even MetroPCS has launched its LTE service in D/FW, but I skipped that network because service is only available on one feature phone, the Samsung Craft, and not on a USB modem.

For my tests, I used a USB modem from each carrier. Almost all of these were loaned units, and I asked the carriers to send their fastest equipment, whenever possible. Verizon Wireless provided an LG VL600 LTE modem. Clear, which provides 4G service for Sprint, sent a Sierra Wireless 250U. T-Mobile sent an HSPA+ rocket. AT&T did not respond to requests for a review unit. The carrier also did not provide specific details about its coverage or projected speeds for its HSPA+ network. In fact, AT&T never even confirmed that the Dallas / Fort Worth area is covered by HSPA+. We purchased an AT&T USBConnect Shockwave modem, made by Sierra Wireless, to use during this test period.

I tested these devices using Windows 7 on my Macbook Pro. I would have liked to test the networks using Mac OS X, as well, but the Verizon Wireless device does not work with the Mac OS. All of the modems I used required software from the respective carriers to create a network connection, and all of these programs worked fine with Windows 7.

I tested the network connection for each of these devices numerous times, in a wide variety of locations covering the length and breadth of the greater D/FW area. It was my intention to exclude any spots where the fastest connection was not obviously available, but this was never an issue in my tests. Every where I tried (with one notable exception), I found LTE service on Verizon Wireless and WiMAX service on Clear. Neither T-Mobile nor AT&T make clear in their software or on their devices when the user is connected to a faster HSPA+ connection.

To maintain consistency throughout my tests, I used the same OS, browser and speed testing site for each network. I used Chrome, my preferred browser, and stuck with the Speedtest.net testing site. When I was closer to Dallas, I chose a Dallas-based server from the Speedtest.net list, and when I was closer to Fort Worth, I used a server in that city. For each town, I ran the same number of tests on each network.

I tested my networks outdoors, usually on the hood of my car in a parking lot. I wanted to avoid as much interference from buildings and structures as possible. There was one exception to this. For my airport run, I tested the networks from within Terminal D at D/FW airport. It is the newest and fanciest terminal. I had to test from the baggage claim area, since I was barred by security from entering the terminal without a boarding pass.

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Comments

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bivness

Dec 16, 2010, 11:07 PM

would like to see what the 3G speeds where on verizon and sprint..

i think you should have switched off the 4G to see what the drop off is on those networks because most people don't live in 4G or they may go in and out of 4 to 3G. plus i was curious if you would have experienced the 2 minute wait time for verizon LTE to 3G that has been reported. i have a AT&T built in card on my laptop which my company provides and i do test speeds average between 3.5 to 4.5 peak of 5. plus i am sure traffic has alot to do with all of the test and where you live.
sorry i stand corrected i just tried a speed test via speedtest.net and got 6.02 Mbps
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GettingSleepy

Dec 15, 2010, 6:35 PM

Verizon's network

Obviously Verizons LTE network is still newer then Sprints WiMax network so it has less users using bandwidth on it. I wonder though if having a large number of customers on Verizons network will actually slow it down it all considering all the bandwidth they purchased in the last auction?

Also thank you for taking the time to do these tests and post the results for those of us who want to know but are unable to perform these kinds of tests ourselves.
Verizon has about 20% of the spectrum that Sprint/Clear have for 4G. Put differently, Verizon's network will slow down as more users are loaded on. Sprint's will as well, but the reason won't be spectrum...
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DE 2 Philly

Dec 15, 2010, 3:06 PM

So Sprint #1, Verizon #2, then who cares after that..

Verizons has the fastest but its still new

&

Sprint has the 2nd fastest data speeds.
Obviously the largest footprint nationwide.
Defininately the most devices...
*Multiple aircards etc.
*2 4G Phones (EVO & EPIC)
& The best Value w/ (inc. unlimited 4G data).
I agree on most of those points. I'm not sure about Sprint's footprint. Verizon Wireless launched LTE in more than 30 huge markets, with more to come very soon. I'll let the carriers sort out who covers the most potential customers.

Otherwise, eve...
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spf1000

Dec 17, 2010, 12:16 PM

Doing a MiFi 2200 (portable WiFi-to-3G gateway) the CHEAP way

I got an iPad back in May when the AT&T data plan really was (still) UNLIMITED. A few weeks later, they did the Monthly Cap CRAP, but grandfathered all of us Existing Customers in. So, even though I barely used the AT&T bandwidth, I kept paying because if I ever cancelled, the Grandathering went out the window for good. In addition to the iPad, I also carry a laptop when travelling. If I wanted 3G access for both, when no WiFi hotspot is available, I'd have to pay for a plan for a MiFi 2200 box. 😡 I'd also be stuck on the plan for some length of time, and I'd still be stuck with a CAP. But Wait! VirginMobile, the Tragically Hip cell carrier that is actually just a reseller of the Sprint network, supports the MiFi 2200 on a NO CONTRACT basi...
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DiamondPro

Dec 16, 2010, 8:31 PM

Great article phonescoop, Bravo... Bravo!

I think this is the best real world comparison of the 3 technology's I've seen posted online. Although I would have like to see speedtest.net results and or video for proof, not to say you don't have any, it just was not presented in the article. Verizon's Lte network maybe faster then Sprints wimax but it does come at a very hefty price tag and is in less markets then Wimax and hspa+. In all my testing, comparisons, and research I have yet to see tmobile network reach its claimed hspa+ 21mbs speed let alone be faster then Sprint Wimax on average. Another problem I have with hspa+ is there is no way other than a speedtest to tell you if you have a hspa+ connection. So what ends up happening is if you run a speedtest and get lower than 2mbs m...
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en102

Dec 16, 2010, 7:22 PM

No VZW LTE or Sprint WiMAX here... AT&T or T-Mo

Since I'm in a suburb of L.A., and there's no LTE or WiMAX available beyond the south half of the San Fernando Valley (L.A.) its all AT&T HSPA or T-Mobile HSPA+ here.
rjflyn

Dec 15, 2010, 4:19 PM

Getro PCS

Is suppose to have an Android phone out some time soon, I've seen several of those Crafts around along with their other crappy phones. Might be worth looking into if the phone isnt a POS and is something close to a Samsung S or that ilk.
Metro PCS's LTE network isn't really comparable to these other networks. Metro is going for wide coverage areas in a few select cities, but speeds on Metro's network will be closer to current low-end 3G. That's what I saw in my review of the Samsung C...
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Trebla

Dec 15, 2010, 8:51 PM

Users?

It would be useful to know how many subscribers you have for each of the carriers in your city. Verizon may not look so dominant once the system gets crowded
Yea once verizon gets some actual user on there network and not just demo's units given to various tech bloggers to do reviews, those lte speeds will slow down. Its obvious they only gave them to tech sites and bloggers at launch so they would see tho...
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hitone

Dec 15, 2010, 9:39 PM

Clear Wire

Clear wire is good if you don't down load a lot of movies or music, because if you do they have a managing system that will slow your internet now to 1.0 or 2.5 on speed test that why I'm switching off of them in February when my contract ex. 😢 😲 ☹️ ☹️
amishky

Dec 15, 2010, 5:03 PM

Variable in different cities

I have a clear spot and Tmobile Rocket 2.0 and have run similar tests in many cities that both services have 4G coverage. I found many variable results depending on the city. Eg. Cleveland- clear and TMO were averaging 4x1 and 65ms latency. Columbus- clear was averaging high 8s x 1 while Tmo never topped 1.5x .5. Almost as if it was speed limited yet displayed H+ on the service indicator. Same results in Birmingham, AL as Columbus, OH. In all cases, I found that TMO holds its connection while moving in a car where clear consistently drops. Eg using skype while mobile was almost unusable with clear's intermittent coverage. TMO held a connection even though it was slower in speed. Same was true of streaming audio services.

So out of t...
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My experience matches yours, though my estimate is that T-Mo has all of their towers in a given area loaded with HSPA+ firmware, but some of them are still backhauled with T1s and thus are bandwidth-constrained.
markisces

Dec 15, 2010, 7:40 PM

New Tech Speeds for your Cell Phone

Keep in mind that Sprint and Clearwire have a two year head start on every other carrier. So those bumps in the road are already smoothed out on Sprint and Clearwire.

You'll also want to consider devices... There are currently 2 on Verizon, while Sprint has 13+ devices including Cellphones! The last claim made by Verizon was phones comming the second half of 2011 (chalk up another year).

And lets not forget spectrum, I don't know about you, but when I'm driving my car down the highway during rush hour I would rather have Sprints 8 lane highway than Verzion's 2 lane highway any day.
iansltx

Dec 15, 2010, 7:40 PM

Denver is a bit different...

Haven't tested VZW LTE but I have checked out WiMAX from Sprint (not quite launched yet but still online), as well as HSPA+ from T-Mobile and AT&T (both appear to have HSPA+ networks live here)...

T-Mobile has by far the lowest latency out of anyone, with 45-70ms to locations local to Denver. They also "feel" faster than the other providers in terms of page load speed and general mobile broadband experience, though in a few locations they'll fall back to EDGE or just stall out. That said, uploads top out around 650 kbps (though I know TMo can do 1.5 Mbps or so...saw it in Austin). Downloads OTOH vary from 1.5 Mbps (backhaul-constrained) to 11 Mbps, depending on where you are. No real average; it just depends on the tower you're on.

Spr...
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