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Methodology 

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.

The Fastest 

Without a doubt, Verizon Wireless' LTE network was the fastest cellular data network I tested. In every every way, Verizon Wireless beat the other networks hands-down. Whether I was downloading or uploading data, Verizon Wireless performed better than the competition. Verizon connections also showed the lowest latency, a measure of network responsiveness.

There's a big caveat here. Verizon Wireless' network is so fresh the paint isn't dry yet. By the time I had finished my testing, the LTE network had only been available commercially for one week. Networks slow down significantly as they get more crowded. With such fast performance at launch, coupled with Verizon's already-impressive brand cache, it's likely that customers in the market for a USB modem and a fast connection will flock to The Network's offering.

Verizon Wireless has made the 6-12 Mbps range its goal for network performance, and if there's one thing we know about Verizon, it takes network performance very seriously. The carrier has built its brand on its network prowess. Plus, with such impressive speeds available to early adopters, even a significant cut in performance would still keep Verizon at the top of the heap for data providers.

The fastest average download speed I recorded during my testing was a measure of more than 16 Mbps using the Verizon LTE modem in Coppell, Texas, a mid-sized suburban town. Even better, the fastest single test run I performed scored a mind-blowing 23.64 Mbps in Plano, the largest of the D/FW suburbs. That's faster than any speed I've recorded on my ultra-premium Time Warner Road Runner cable modem at home. Overall, the average speed I recorded across all of my download tests on Verizon Wireless was 11.47 Mbps.

Verizon Wireless has claimed that users should expect to see speeds between 6 Mbps and 12 Mbps. I ran more than a hundred speed tests with the Verizon LTE modem across the metroplex, and only three tests showed speeds that were under 6 Mbps. The slowest speed I ever saw on Verizon's network was a single download test that scored 3.43 Mbps. For comparison, using AT&T's Shockwave HSPA+ modem, I never saw speeds that topped Verizon's slowest score outside of the Dallas city limits. Within Dallas I saw fine download speeds using AT&T, but once I crossed into the suburbs and the Fort Worth area, AT&T's best could not beat Verizon Wireless' worst.

Upload speeds on Verizon Wireless' LTE network were also impressive. The fastest average upload I recorded for a single test site was 3.88 Mbps up using LTE in Plano, where I also saw the best download speeds. On numerous individual tests run throughout the metroplex, testing recorded upload speeds in excess of 4 Mbps. Once again, that's not only faster than the competition, that's faster than what I see on my cable modem at home.

What does this all mean in practical terms? It means that anything you can accomplish on your home network connection, you can accomplish on the go. If you want to watch streaming movies, download massive apps and files, use video chat features, or whatever bandwidth hogging task you prefer, you'll be able to do what you like with your laptop from your local Starbucks without having to hop onto the coffeeshop's crowded, free Wi-Fi connection.

A second caveat is that the faster speeds on Verizon's LTE network make it tempting to use for high-bandwidth tasks. But two or three feature films will chew through your data allotment for the month, leaving you stuck with a $50 - $80 bill for a few movies on the go, or paying $10 extra for a humble Gigabyte of data. The data cap is probably perfect for corporate users. If you'll be downloading PowerPoint decks or Excel spreadsheets, then uploading them for your team to add and edit, you'll appreciate the speed on both ends of the equation, up and down. But if you're looking for real Internet entertainment on the go, or if you'll want to replace your wired home connection with Verizon's broadband, the pricing does not lend itself to these options.

Clear Second 

Among the other large carriers, there wasn't a clear winner for data offerings. Each had their ups and downs. If there was anything I learned, it's that network performance is wildly inconsistent depending on where you live and to where you'll be traveling. In considering the other 3 networks, there are a few questions to ask when deciding which network to choose. Do you want to hop onto the network with the fastest potential speed? Or do you want the network that was consistently faster than the others, even if it didn't break any speed records? Do upload speeds matter as much as download speeds? All of these questions result in a different choice of network.

After Verizon, the fastest network I tested was the Clear WiMAX network, the same 4G service also used by Sprint. Sprint and Clear use the exact same WiMAX network (and Sprint is a major shareholder in Clearwire), so I consider their service interchangeable for my purposes. Sprint's WiMAX network was leaps and bounds ahead of both T-Mobile and AT&T. Though Clear's network couldn't beat Verizon Wireless, speeds on the WiMAX network were still good, better than the other two HSPA+ networks. I usually saw speeds in the range of 2-4 Mbps on Clear. That's low, for sure, and even a traditional 3G network might offer speeds that are better, depending on your local network coverage. But in the metroplex, WiMAX beat the rest of the pack. Overall, across all of my download tests on Clear's WiMAX network, I recorded an average speed of 3.8 Mbps.

In 80% of my network tests, Clear's WiMAX network beat AT&T and T-Mobile in terms of download speeds. Also, in terms of raw performance, the fastest speeds I saw on any network after Verizon were on Clear. In the historic Fort Worth stockyard district, a popular tourist spot, Clear often registered download speeds in excess of 11 Mbps. Though T-Mobile's HSPA+ network often came close, I never saw HSPA+ break the 10 Mbps mark.

That said, Clear's WiMAX service could be unreliable. Sprint's WiMAX network was far reaching, and I never found a spot that lacked a 4G signal. But even on the so-called 4G network, I often saw data slow to a crawl that was less than 1 Mbps. Or, I might have three consecutive runs that were under 2 Mbps, followed by a few tests in the same spot that exceeded 6 Mbps. In real-world terms this meant videos might stutter and stall. Downloads might stop unexpectedly, or Web pages might require a refresh to finish loading a page properly. This wasn't a significant issue, and WiMAX maintained its second-place status throughout my tests, but if Verizon Wireless can hold onto its network performance as the service grows more popular, Sprint and Clear will have their work cut out for them if they want to catch up to the winner.

Clear's WiMAX network was also the second-place runner-up in terms of network latency. Even with occasionally inconsistent results I found, the network usually responded faster than the two HSPA+ networks on AT&T and T-Mobile.

Sprint also has another significant advantage over Verizon and the other competitors. Its 4G service is offered with a truly unlimited contract. In the Dallas area, Clear markets its WiMAX network as a possible alternative to a home network connection, and offers home base stations that can turn a 4G signal into a home Wi-Fi network and a VoIP phone connection. So far, Clear is standing by its "unlimited" offering, unlike on other carriers, where "unlimited" actually means "5GB," or some similar data cap. So, you can watch all the movies you like, or download all of the huge files you want, without worrying about exceeding your limit.

Tied for Last 

I was somewhat surprised by the results I found using the T-Mobile and AT&T HSPA networks. First, I had seen some impressive initial results with T-Mobile's HSPA+ network when I reviewed the T-Mobile G2, the first HSPA+ handset. But these results did not bear out in my tests with USB data modems. Second, AT&T has been so secretive and ambiguous about its HSPA+ network that I was not sure what to expect. But, overall, my tests showed that AT&T's network kept pace with T-Mobile's network. T-Mobile's HSPA+ network did produce a few remarkably high individual test results that handily beat AT&T's best, but overall the average of all scores for my network tests on HSPA were very close, regardless of carrier. Plus, while T-Mobile also scored higher on a few individual test runs, T-Mobile also produced the slowest test results in almost half of my testing areas. So, AT&T might not produce the best results, but, by a nose, it was more consistent than T-Mobile's network.

If uploading is just as important to you as downloading, AT&T handily beat T-Mobile in my upload tests. In fact, upload speeds on AT&T were consistently better than every other network except for Verizon Wireless. Even Clear's WiMAX network couldn't offer upload performance to match AT&T's HSPA. The difference was not extreme. Usually, AT&T's network offered uploads between 800 Kbps and 1.2 Mbps, while the other networks almost never topped 1 Mbps uploads. But if every second counts when you need to upload files, AT&T is your best bet, after Verizon.

Speed tests for downloads on HSPA+ networks usually hovered just over the 2 Mbps range. Across all of my tests, T-Mobile averaged 2.19 Mbps on downloads, and AT&T averaged 2.07 Mbps. T-Mobile did produce some of the fastest test results I saw on HSPA+. In Grapevine, a suburb between the Dallas and Fort Worth, I recorded scored that were in the 7-8 Mbps range, with some tests exceeding 8 Mbps. That at least proves that T-Mobile's network exceeds the theoretical performance of a slower 7.2 Mbps HSPA network, so T-Mobile's faster HSPA+ is definitely working and active down here in Texas.

On AT&T, on the other hand, the fastest individual test I recorded was only 4.76 Mbps. That's higher than I might expect from an HSPA device, but certainly within the real world limits of the somewhat slower 3G network. So, without official confirmation from AT&T, and with no indication from the device or the software itself, it's impossible for me to say for sure that AT&T's HSPA+ network is active, or at least actively achieving speeds in excess of what I might expect from a 7.2Mbps HSPA network. HSPA+ should reach theoretical speeds around 14.4 Mbps or higher, and T-Mobile's network has a theoretical limit around 21 Mbps, though real world results will obviously be much, much lower.

Still, regardless of the network technology, both AT&T and T-Mobile were so close in their overall results that I could not call a winner among the two. Sure, you might theoretically reach faster speeds on T-Mobile. In one testing area, T-Mobile's network also achieved the best latency scores I saw among any carrier, including Verizon Wireless, with a 45ms ping time. That's fantastic response, very close to the latency I see on my home network. Unsurprisingly, that test area was also where I recorded the fastest T-Mobile scores I found in my test period.

Unfortunately, T-Mobile's network also produced some of the slowest results I saw during my test period. My two slowest averages for any test site were recorded on T-Mobile. T-Mo's network often dipped well below 1 Mbps, and often chugged to a near-standstill at less than 500 Kbps. In automotive terms, if I hit the gas, I would rather know my car can reach a steady 85 on the highway, rather than wonder if it will top 120 or stall out at 35 MPH.

The $$$ 

Figuring out which service offers the best value is like piecing together a fascinating puzzle of options and contracts. Clear and Sprint offer the best deal by far for next generation data connections. Those two companies offer slightly different options on the same network service. If you must have the fastest network around, Verizon Wireless offers a good deal for its LTE service. But even Verizon Wireless' fast LTE network doesn't offer a deal as remarkable as Sprint and Clear. Finally, AT&T offers the worst bang for your buck of all the major carriers.

If you buy your device from Sprint or Clear, you get unlimited service on the 4G WiMAX network. If you find yourself in an area without 4G, you're still covered, but you only get 5GB of 3G data. Even if you don't count the unlimited 4G, Sprint still gives you as much data as the two slower carriers offer on their best plan, so with the unlimited 4G option, Sprint and Clear are offering a great deal.

On Clear, that deal will run you $55 per month. You don't have to sign a contract on Clear, though you do have to sign away 2 years of your life on Sprint. If you do sign a long-term agreement with Clear, the company will waive the $35 activation fee and give you the first month of service for free. Whether or not you sign a contract, Clear will sell you the Sierra Wireless modem I tested for $115. Sprint, on the other hand, requires the contract but also gives you its own 4G USB modem for free. Sprint doesn't charge an activation fee, but it won't give you a free month, either.

Personally, I'm not a fan of long-term commitments if I can avoid them, so the Clear deal sounds great for being contract-free. Even paying a total of $150 for the modem and activation, that's still less than you'll pay for a modem without a contract on the other 3 carriers. If you plan on using the device for 2 years, though, and you don't mind the commitment, Sprint's deal is better, since the activation and first month on Clear only add up to $90, while Sprint gives you free activation and a free USB modem. In either case, though, the real steal is the unlimited data, which is unheard of on every other carrier.

If you don't have WiMAX in your area, Verizon Wireless still offers a good deal. It isn't quite as cheap as T-Mobile's offering, but it is much faster, and the price per GB is comparable if you're going to spring for the 10GB plan on Verizon. Of course, Verizon makes you pay $100 for the USB modem, or $250 if you want to avoid the contract agreement. The device is free on T-Mobile, or $200 if you don't want a 2-year commitment.

If speed isn't a concern, T-Mobile sweetens the deal with an interesting data overage plan. If you exceed your 5GB limit on T-Mobile, the carrier does not cut you off or start charging exorbitant fees per Megabyte. They simply throttle down your speed. So, you could theoretically use all the data you like on T-Mo, but the carrier can hit the brakes until you're chugging along at an undisclosed, but presumably quite slow speed.

AT&T offers the worst deal of the bunch. The price per GB of data is more expensive than any other carrier, running $60 for 5GB. Like Sprint and T-Mobile, AT&T offers the USB modem for free with a new contract, but if you want to pay month-by-month, the modem will cost you $250, which is more than any other device except for Verizon's LTE kit.

If you run over your data cap on AT&T, you'll pay $0.05 per MB in overage fees. Sprint and Clear also both charge $0.05 per MB for overage. So, for all of those networks, you'll pay $50 per GB in fees if you're a real data hog. For comparison, Verizon Wireless only charges $10 per GB if you run over, and Verizon offers a larger cap in its $80, 10GB plan. But as I said, T-Mobile doesn't charge any overage fees at all.

So, if you are a data hog, choose Sprint or Clear, which offer unlimited data on 4G and a high limit on 3G for the best price per GB. If you're a speed fanatic, choose Verizon Wireless, which offers the best speeds around for a good price. If you're a bargain hunter, go with T-Mobile, where you won't be hit with huge feeds for exceeding your monthly limit. If you're a masochist, choose AT&T.

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