May 27th, 2009
AT&T plans 3G upgrade; Promises 'considerably' faster mobile broadband speeds
Here’s good news for iPhone users: AT&T said Wednesday that it is plotting a 3G network upgrade to offer “considerably faster mobile broadband speeds.”
Of course, the bad news is that AT&T’s network is holding you back now.
The company said its upgrade will be completed in 2011. Specifically, AT&T said it will upgrade its High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology on the 3G side. AT&T plans to begin LTE trials—the rival to WiMax—in 2010 with deployments starting in 2011.
AT&T’s news (statement) was timed to overlap with CEO Randall Stephenson’s talk at the D7 conference. Walt Mossberg asked Stephenson why AT&T’s network wasn’t ready for the iPhone’s bandwidth consumption:
Walt: Let’s talk for a moment about the iPhone. It’s a data-intensive device. You weren’t ready when you first launched the iPhone 3G. What happened? Stephenson says the company wasn’t quite ready. “But we’re improving.”
A look at what AT&T is promising:
- A doubling of 850 MHz wireless spectrum devoted to 3G in most metro areas;
- New cell backhaul connections via fiber-optic connectivity and additional cell sites (2,100 of them);
- A theoretical peak speed of 7.2Mbps on the 3G network (you’ll get less in the real world);
- AT&T’s 3G network will be deployed to 20 additional metro areas in 2009.
Add it up and AT&T said its total capital spending budget for 2009 will remain in the $17 billion to $18 billion range.
Also see: 4G wireless makes progress with WiMax, LTE developments
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Smart Planet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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