Gizmodo
When people bitched about the iPhone's 3G sansness, one counter was that it didn't matter, since AT&T's 3G network was far from ubiquitous anyway. AT&T is stepping up on their end this year, planning on smothering another 80 cities in sticky, delicious 3Goodness for a total of 350 markets, and all of the top 100 cities. Topping it off, the whole thing will be HSUPA by mid-year, for snappier uploads in the 500-800 Kbps range (vs. HSDPA only, D standing for downlink). Next piece of the perfect mobile internet device puzzle: an iPhone that can use it. [AT&T]
T&T PLANS MAJOR EXPANSION OF 3G WIRELESS BROADBAND SERVICE IN 2008Company to Expand 3G Service to More Than 80 New Cities, Complete Upload Broadband Speed Enhancements
New Milestones Mark Next Step in Direction Toward Long-Term Evolution (LTE)
SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 6, 2008 — AT&T is casting a wider Net for mobile customers this year by building out its network to make catching a high speed wireless Web connection easier coast-to-coast.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced highlights of the company's 2008 wireless network expansion plans, including the deployment of third-generation (3G) wireless broadband service to more than 80 additional cities in the United States through the course of the year. The planned expansion is expected to deliver AT&T 3G services to nearly 350 leading U.S. markets by the end of 2008, including all of the top 100 U.S. cities. The 3G initiative will include the roll out of more than 1,500 additional cell sites nationwide.
Other plans for the new year include completion of the nation's first High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)-enabled network by the middle of the year. The AT&T 3G network now delivers typical downlink speeds ranging between 600 and 1,400 Kilobits per second (Kbps), as well as faster uplink speeds, ranging from 500 and 800 Kilobits per second (Kbps). The faster uplink speeds allow AT&T's HSUPA-enabled laptop users to more quickly send large files and take full advantage of the latest interactive Internet and business applications.
The company's wireless network is based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technologies, the most open and widely used wireless network platform in the world, supporting 86 percent of the people worldwide who use wireless devices. This platform also positions AT&T to continually adopt next-generation technologies.
"Fast wireless broadband is the foundation for a whole range of new and emerging applications that our customers are adopting, including everything from social networking to sending live video and large business files," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO for AT&T's wireless unit. "With these aggressive initiatives, we're expanding the scope and the speed of our 3G capabilities, connecting people with their world and enabling more customers to do more with their wireless devices, wherever they may be.
"We're also planning for the future by establishing a clear path to a 4G network that will meet the needs of our customers for years to come," said de la Vega.
The deployment of HSUPA this year is the next step in the evolution of AT&T's 3G network, with further enhancements and speed boosts expected in the near future. This year's HSUPA deployment will complete the transition of the AT&T 3G network to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) standards, marking the only full transition by any wireless provider in the United States to this latest generation of wireless broadband capabilities.
As customer needs continue to evolve and grow in the future, AT&T's global leadership in deployment of GSM technologies positions the company to continuously evolve its network to meet those needs. The evolution towards HSPA+ and LTE technologies will enable the company to continue to deliver higher speeds and capacity in the years to come.
"From the beginning, our wireless network has been designed with the future in mind," said de la Vega. "The capabilities of 3G standards will continue to expand over the next several years, enabling us to stay well ahead of our customers' broadband needs. And looking even further into the future, our existing technologies provide the ideal platform for a smooth transition to next-generation platforms."
AT&T's GSM technology also offers customers the largest international roaming footprint. AT&T devices work in 196 countries and regions - accounting for more than 90 percent of the planet. All GSM customers in those countries can roam on the AT&T network in the United States as well.
Comments
The list of cities is where? link went nowhere.
That would really piss off all the iPhone owners if the new iPhone gets 3G barely a year after its release.
@daftrok: Just like it pissed'em off that there was a 200$ price slashing weeks later?
Who the hell cares about those people? They deserve it for not waiting out the term and reading up on the tech.
So with upload speeds like that we could change our AT&T Tilts into roaming web cams.
I'm guessing here in Minneapolis/St Paul we wont see these upload speeds for a few years. We just finally got 3g. Rochester Mn had it for over a year longer than us.. damn Mayo Clinic and IBM there.. AT&T pandered to them over the most populous region in mn
@shiftyeyedgoat: I don't think it matters for some. They'll buy the new one anyway.
Hardly "pissed."
Most iPhone owners like me are on wifi 90% of the time anyway and that EDGE is good for email on the road. Not much of that behavior would change with 3G.
@daftrok: Anyone who hasn't gotten used to the relentless march of technology at this point is an aneurysm waiting to happen. No matter what kind of tech you get, phone, computer, camera, TV, etc. - it is ALWAYS going to be non-cutting edge by next year. That's just how life works in this century. Get over it.
@daftrok: Then we'll just buy the new one.
If you want 3g stop talking about the iphone and actually get a phone worth getting with 3G
@shiftyeyedgoat: As an IPhone user I have to say it wouldn't bother me. I was well aware of the lack of 3G when I bought the phone and with it currently lacking the ability to be used as a modem I have no significant use for 3G on it anyways. For exactly the same reasons pointed out by lucky_you
How much faster will 3g get an email out? Most people aren't going to be streaming video (read: streaming porn) on our phones.
So really, how much faster will it be for the average person? 3 sec, as opposed 10? meh. (that's right, I said it. 3g = meh. M. E. H.)
As someone previously said, most of us with iphones are usually on wifi anyway with the occasional email or checking the woot-off while on the road or at work.
Hey since phone people are all up in here, I need some advice. I can't get a cocoon from o2, since they won't sell outside the UK. So aside from my finding one on eBay, what's a nice cell with great sound quality. I neither need nor want a "smart" phone, but only great sound quality, good look, and address book.
I was thinking the samsung t819? Anyone have one?
correction.. need a 3g iphone with a bigger battery (faster speed will kill the battery faster)
AT&T, now violating my privacy faster than ever!
Thats until the cell towers get knocked down, like those undersea cables were cut.
Remember, they enhanced their EDGE network a few months prior to the iPhone launch. Maybe this is in preperation to the 3G iPhone launch. I'd say the 1 year anniversary would seem like a reasonable date to launch a 3G iPhone.
With my packets going upstream faster, I can play Ragnarok anywhere. It will be much easier to send pkorn upstream now, ladies should enjoy that.
Make sure the little flaming testicle, with the three on it, is in the pcture of your next iPhone. The HTC Tytyn I washed in the machine had that, but the coverage does not reach me here in the desert.
Plus, I washed it. wash+phone=nophone
@lucky_you: I second that, I use Edge only for google maps on road, which is good for that purpose. Never faced a problem with that. The remaining time, while at home or work, it switches to WiFi.
@blitzcat: Here's the link to the cities where 3G currently exists. [www.wireless.att.com]
I couldn't find a listing of where its getting added. :-(
The 3G iPhone will be the one I buy. I'm glad I waited. :-)
The people who claim to not care for 3G have never used it. I bought the 1st 3G handset on AT&T (Blackjack) when it came out and still love it. $20/month basically gets me a 1000KBPS connection ANYWHERE I care to travel (it helps I live in a big city and rarely venture into the boonies). Its a snap to pair with my laptop as a wireless modem and viola! Corporate VPN and Outlook without having to fork out another wad of cash for prepaid WiFi etc. I like the forma factor and design of the iPhone, but I need a keyboard for my email.
which wouldn't do me much good at work, since we use wpa2 enterprise encryption and for some idiotic reason the iphone doesn't do that.
and as far as 3g, even my razr v3xx is lightning fast on it. why would i settle for slower on an iphone? i can wait.
@blitzcat: @toddgarvin: Here's the link to the press release:[www.att.com]
They don't list the cities being added, though.
So here we have an indication of what may be the _real_ reason the original iPhone was 2G: insufficient support on AT&T's network. After all, if there were a few million iPhone users out there with 3G iPhones, but they could only get 2G speeds most places, wouldn't they all be bitching and having a non-positive user experience? And now we can expect to see the 3G iPhone, AFTER AT&T finishes upgrading their network in all these markets.
finally, AT&T is catching up with sprint on its data network!
@daftrok: Na I expected it to be out soon. By the time the 3G comes out I'll be ready for an upgrade -- who keeps a phone over a year anyway?
The trouble is, there is not, and will not be, any 3G in between those 300-whatever cities and top 100 markets. Meanwhile they will start on the 4g system, having never completed the buildout of 3g or EDGE or plain digital in the first place! I guess all this is fine for people who never go anywhere, though.
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