Considering that nobody gets even close to the 7.2Mbps limit on 3G, and even 3G isn't "fully" rolled-out for any carrier, it makes little sense to try to expand an entirely new infrastructure for higher theoretical speeds that will require new phones to use more power and adhere to new standards. I think T-Mo has the right idea here, and it'll give them an edge (no pun intended) on providing high speeds to a bigger market. T-Mo has already expanded 3G a lot in my area; I now have a solid 25 mile radius 3G connection at around 600k to 1Mbps, which for now is more than adequate for streaming video, music, or broadcasting video with Qik.
Eh, it's not a bad idea. And if the tech world has taught us anything it's that three years behind is roughly where you wanna be for cheap powerful hardware. T-Mo hunkers down for a bit, squeezes some actually pretty impressive speeds out of their current network, while the big dogs pour money into new networks, driving the cost of those networks down and dealing with all the hiccups in the tech along the way.
Meanwhile, T-Mo's current 3G customers enjoy some hefty speed boosts without buying any new hardware. Customers enjoy the new power, while T-Mo enjoys the good press. Because surely, uninformed customers will be wondering why they have to buy whole new phones for super-fast speeds, while their buddy with the myTouch keeps getting better speeds on the same phone.
I mean, there's about a hundred ways to spin this, and there's trade-offs sure, but this could actually be a really good move for T-Mobile. Provided they don't neglect all plans for a 4G network eventually.
@OCEntertainment: but in 4 years, when everyone has a new 4G phone T-Mobile subscribers will be saying "Why is my phone so much slower than my buddy who has ATT, Verizon, etc."
@lladnar: Maybe. As the chart (which admittedly, came from a different article: [gizmodo.com]) shows, there's a difference between theoretical and actual. Maybe they'll be pushing over 20Mbps, maybe not. Will the phones processors' themselves catch up to the speed of the network they're on? Again, 4G is not the be-all end-all on bandwidth and speed capabilities. Getting the most for their money, I still say, is a good move for T-Mo.
21Mbps seems like a lot for a phone. hopefully Comcast will die in favor of wireless data solutions, but unless you're downloading huge amounts of data(on your phone?) can you really tell the difference between 21Mbps and 7.2 by just browsing?
@JosephRaymond: That's a good point. And honestly, a bunch of mobile apps are developed specifically for low-bandwidth solutions. Not to mention that you're still limited by how much data your phone can process (500Kbps is faster on a lappy than it is on a phone).
That being said, if their bandwidth were that fat, it'd still open up opportunities. Maybe tethering would become a more acceptable option? Also, it might give way to more realistic mobile video options. I mean, yeah, I have a YouTube app on my G1....but do I really wanna wait forever to watch a video on it? No. Maybe if it was quicker, though.
And I definitely couldn't agree more about Comcast. DIEE!!!
09/11/09
09/12/09
09/11/09
09/11/09
I really love my MT3G, but as soon as I leave the city, I'm back to EDGE.
09/11/09
Meanwhile, T-Mo's current 3G customers enjoy some hefty speed boosts without buying any new hardware. Customers enjoy the new power, while T-Mo enjoys the good press. Because surely, uninformed customers will be wondering why they have to buy whole new phones for super-fast speeds, while their buddy with the myTouch keeps getting better speeds on the same phone.
I mean, there's about a hundred ways to spin this, and there's trade-offs sure, but this could actually be a really good move for T-Mobile. Provided they don't neglect all plans for a 4G network eventually.
09/11/09
09/11/09
09/11/09
09/11/09
That being said, if their bandwidth were that fat, it'd still open up opportunities. Maybe tethering would become a more acceptable option? Also, it might give way to more realistic mobile video options. I mean, yeah, I have a YouTube app on my G1....but do I really wanna wait forever to watch a video on it? No. Maybe if it was quicker, though.
And I definitely couldn't agree more about Comcast. DIEE!!!