AT&T iPhone beats Verizon in nationwide 3G speed tests

**jayman2** · 02-18-2011, 10:57 AM

Here's an interesting article:
AT&T iPhone beats Verizon in nationwide 3G speed tests - CNN.com

**DawgMan** · 02-18-2011, 11:01 AM

Good article, thanks for posting.

**Cleveland** · 02-18-2011, 11:32 AM

Yes indeed, great article, thanks for posting

**andyahs** · 02-18-2011, 12:14 PM

Interesting. Not living in the US does this surprise anyone?

**Laura Knotek** · 02-18-2011, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by andyahs

Interesting. Not living in the US does this surprise anyone?

No.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3504_7-5664933-5.html

The link I posted is dated, but it does explain the network speeds.

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**andyahs** · 02-18-2011, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by lak611

No.

CNET's quick guide to 3G cell phone service: 3G glossary - CNET Reviews

The link I posted is dated, but it does explain the network speeds.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Thank you..

**JRSCCivic98** · 02-18-2011, 12:39 PM

This should not be a surprise to anyone who knows the technical details behind each carrier's 3G network technologies. Just because it says it's 3G does not make it the same, just like saying you have Cable Internet at home does not automatically mean you have the same speeds as others do from other Cable Internet providers. Unfortunately, the general public doesn't know any better because of the questionable advertising laws in place that allows advertisers to say one thing and totally refute it via fine print at the bottom of the screen. lol

**FigureThisOut** · 02-18-2011, 02:20 PM

Not surprised. Already knew this when I switched from ATT to Verizon.

**condemned** · 02-19-2011, 10:03 AM

Doesn't like over 85% of the world use GSM? Not sure why Verizon and some international carriers decided to go with CDMA. GSM is better in every way possible (I've used both).

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**otacon#AC** · 02-20-2011, 10:41 PM

Of course it does... AT&T's 3G coverage is what a 1/4 of Verizon? When you service less people of course it's going to be faster.

**lockedtight** · 02-20-2011, 10:48 PM

This fact is a no brainer as 3g gsm is much faster than 3g cdma.

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**JRSCCivic98** · 02-20-2011, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by condemned

Doesn't like over 85% of the world use GSM? Not sure why Verizon and some international carriers decided to go with CDMA. GSM is better in every way possible (I've used both).

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Not really. CDMA is really good with signal penetration into buildings and such.

**cronaldo** · 02-21-2011, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by otacon72

Of course it does... AT&T's 3G coverage is what a 1/4 of Verizon? When you service less people of course it's going to be faster.

True but it was also easier and cheaper for Verizon to upgrade their network to 3G, while AT&T and to switch out hardware on the cell towers unlike Verizon and that takes time. Also the 3G coverage is closer than most people think, but Verizon likes to make it seem like they have a lot more coverage which is untrue.

**JRSCCivic98** · 02-21-2011, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by cronaldo

True but it was also easier and cheaper for Verizon to upgrade their network to 3G, while AT&T and to switch out hardware on the cell towers unlike Verizon and that takes time. Also the 3G coverage is closer than most people think, but Verizon likes to make it seem like they have a lot more coverage which is untrue.

Verizon's 3G coverage is in both large cities and small ones. AT&T still isn't. Basically, it's kind of how LTE is going on now. They cover the big popular cities, but nothing else. I have several friends with AT&T phones and they drop 3G when they go into some buildings or go into certain potions of the city. Everyone on Verizon remains within 3G no matter what. When I travel I'm always in 3G on Verizon. AT&T friends and co-workers drop from time to time, especially if not traveling the main highways in various states. That to me speaks volumes because AT&T contantly mocks Verizon for not being able to do simultanious voice/data, but what everyone overlooks is that unless you're in an AT&T 3G coverage area, you're not doing it either... and since those areas aren't as proliferent at Verizon's, you might as well have the same limits/network technology.

**ferniesp** · 02-21-2011, 11:49 AM

Whats all this nonsense regarding speed tests and such? My web pages on my Verizon Iphone load up just as quickly as all my droids. I have also tested the AT&T Iphone against mine at the AT&T store and mine is still faster rendering full sites like CNN/FOX NEWS just to name a few. I live in Southern California where 3G is solid, rock solid.

Anyways, what I find interesting is that when I use the app for SpeedTests, the end result doesn't even come close to my real world experience. To make a long story short, my phone is fast enough and if I want to go faster, I will just find a wifi hotspot. At the end of the day, just how fast is fast to most people? For me, I want solid calls and above average web/music and the Iphone delivers.

**ferniesp** · 02-21-2011, 11:53 AM

I have to chime in on JR's response. You are so correct regarding the lack of coverage in the small cities. AT&T brags about their coverage even where I live and people still cannot stand AT&T even though the map shows full coverage. Once you go by an ant hill, the signal goes bye bye. Go in a store with thick walls, kiss the AT&T signal goodbye.

**JRSCCivic98** · 02-21-2011, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by ferniesp

Whats all this nonsense regarding speed tests and such? My web pages on my Verizon Iphone load up just as quickly as all my droids. I have also tested the AT&T Iphone against mine at the AT&T store and mine is still faster rendering full sites like CNN/FOX NEWS just to name a few. I live in Southern California where 3G is solid, rock solid.

Anyways, what I find interesting is that when I use the app for SpeedTests, the end result doesn't even come close to my real world experience. To make a long story short, my phone is fast enough and if I want to go faster, I will just find a wifi hotspot. At the end of the day, just how fast is fast to most people? For me, I want solid calls and above average web/music and the Iphone delivers.

That's because people here are talking about actual throughput, not webpage rendering speed. The bottlenet (for the most part) on rendering a webpage on the phone IS NOT the network speed, but rather the browser itself. This is why you're seeing the same speed on AT&T 3G, Verizon 3G, and with some sites even WIFI coverage. When you compare all these connectivity options on the browser, the differences will be very small for general browsing and most people won't even notice it. However, when you're downloading something big or streaming large videos/media, the AT&T pipe should give you better throughput and take less time to do it.

The main differences I think you'll see when speedtesting both networks is going to be as follows.

AT&T = higher speed/higher latency
Verizon = lower speed/lower latency
WIFI = high speed/low latency

So, the difference in latency between Verizon's and AT&T's network make up for the speed differences when browsing, but not when doing sustained transfers. Latency makes a big difference in browsing speeds. For example, a SAT broadband connection can be highspeed, but the latency is 800+ms, so the browsing speed is worse then DSL sometimes. But the sustained download speeds are just as fast as whatever speed the link is rated at. Hopefully this makes better sense.

**valorian** · 02-21-2011, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by ferniesp

Whats all this nonsense regarding speed tests and such?

Because Techie people want three things out of their devices. They want them smaller, faster, cheaper. Oh, and they wanted it yesterday. There never will be a "fast enough".