3G networks don't deliver speeds users expect

bealtine

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/networking/?p=995&tag=nl.e101



Despite the hype and billion-dollar investments, anecdotal evidence — and now a study by Gartner — suggests rapidly diminishing returns on higher-tiered speeds of mobile broadband.

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Last week, I compared my experiences with Wi-Fi and 3G. In the comments section, TechRepublic member w2ktechman effectively summed it up by highlighting Wi-Fi’s superior performance for a stationary network and 3G’s “roamability.”

What I did not elaborate on — and didn’t have space for anyway — was a recent report compiled by Gartner that noted its unsurprising findings that 3G networks don’t deliver the speeds users expect. Computerworld has a relatively detailed report on it, which you can check out here.

Now, while the study was specific to the four major U.S. wireless carriers, my personal experiences and a couple of unrelated amateur tests of broadband speeds lead me to agree that 3G networks simply don’t deliver on their advertised speeds.

Wireless is subject to interference

And why should we be surprised anyway? Even with the Linksys Wireless-N router that I purchased late last year, sitting at my study table a scant two meters away doesn’t necessary guarantee me the full connection speed. Note that I am not talking about the measured throughput here, just the speed that shows up under the Status header in Network Connections.

In fact, the connection speed can even drop to just 1Mbps in the living room about 12 meters (or about 40 feet) away, courtesy of the two concrete walls in between. Indeed, the environment consists of just three wireless laptops in the whole house, and we are not out in the middle of town with the potential interference resulting from 50 or 100 users trying to share the same mobile phone mast.

Reliability of 3G for large downloads

When in a pinch to download files of more than a few megabytes, I will often find myself crossing my fingers and hoping that the download will successfully complete. When loading graphics-rich Web pages, it is not uncommon to find image splices missing, necessitating a page reload. This is a good indication of dropped packets or disrupted TCP sessions.

I am not 100 percent sure on this point, but I am assuming that signaling priority on a 3G mobile network goes toward voice transmissions, which would go a long way toward explaining the incomplete file downloads that I sometimes end up with.

Just stick to a lower-end data plan

I do suppose most of the shortcomings of 3G data networks are inherent to technological limitations rather than any deliberate attempt at shortchanging by the Telcos. When all is said and done, however, I have one piece of advice: Just stick to a lower-end data plan if your Telco tiers data access by different speeds.

Mind you, I am speaking from the perspective of a user who has been on literally “unlimited” data plans. Okay, some of the plans I have used do have upper limits ranging from 10GB to 50GB, but that’s unlimited enough for me! You see, regardless of data networks, every test that I’ve come across shows average download speeds of not more than one or two megabits per second.

While there are times where it is possible to achieve 2 or even 3 Mbps — on “7.2″ or “14.4″ Mbps networks – it is generally quite rare. As such, one questions the wisdom of shelling out double or even triple the amount for the faster-tiered speeds that one probably will never see, and I’m not even talking about places where 3G coverage is bad or nonexistent!

In conclusion

I no longer travel overseas as much as I used to, though my writing and teaching at a local polytechnic leads me to travel around a lot more than a typical desk-bound job. Guess what: I used to have the ideal — and it’s not a typo — that a fast mobile broadband subscription and 3.5G modem and laptop would be all that is required for “unwired” productivity on-the-move.

Now, if I have critical, Internet-dependent work that needs to be completed, I just finish it at home first.

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Paul Mah is an independent tech writer, covering a range of topics from enterprise IT to mobile technology. Several times a week, he also indulges in teaching IT-related topics at a local polytechnic. You can reach him via his contact page at TechatPlay.com. Read his full bio and profile.

bealtine

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9126865

3G networks don't deliver speeds users expect, Gartner says
AT&T, singled out by the research firm, questions methodology
By Matt Hamblen


January 27, 2009 (Computerworld) The 3G networks of all four major U.S. wireless carriers deliver slower speeds than customers expect, according to Gartner Inc., which said it has received the most complaints about AT&T's network.

The Gartner findings, summarized in a recent report by analyst Phillip Redman, point to many factors behind the less-than-satisfactory speeds.

The research firm urged companies and consumers to be realistic in their expectations and read the fine print of their agreements with carriers, and it urged companies to test products before investing in them. "Most providers market speeds as high as 1.8Mbit/sec. on their 3G networks, [but] the fine print doesn't guarantee such speeds," the report said.

The Gartner report focused on AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA, noting that all of them market their 3G wireless speeds as "broadband" which is generally defined as data transfer speeds that are faster than 1.5Mbit/sec. for downloads and at least 250Kbit/sec. for uploads.

But the actual mobile network averages are "generally between 300Kbit/sec and 700Kbit/sec lower" than expected for both uplink and downlink speeds for many reasons, Gartner said. It noted that carriers "don't guarantee these speeds, but advertise they can provide 'up to' advertised speeds."

Only some laptop cards support the highest speeds promoted by carriers, Redman said. And network speeds can be half as fast as marketed when a users are moving around, such as while traveling in a car, compared to when they're stationary.

Redman singled out the iPhone 3G, sold exclusively by AT&T, saying it won't support downloads faster than 1.4Gbit/sec., while some laptop cards get 1.7Mbit/sec. "Companies shouldn't expect the fastest network speeds on the iPhone 3G," Redman said in the report.

In comparison, Redman said the BlackBerry Bold "supports faster speeds," though he did not detail how much faster they are.

All of the big carriers defended their marketing of 3G speeds and the way they deliver on their promises, but AT&T took special exception to the Gartner report and attacked Gartner's methodology.

"We deliver to customers on speeds," said AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel in an interview. Redman based his conclusions about AT&T, he added, "on anecdotal feedback from only 30 customers to fashion some sweeping generalizations about us in particular."

Siegel argued that Redman should have tested the new BlackBerry Storm, which offers a full touch screen, as a comparison to the iPhone -- not the BlackBerry Bold. Redman refused, Siegel said.

Redman did not say how many complaints Gartner received, but defended the company's research methods as the best in the industry.

Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon, said 3G speeds are "exactly as promised," and noted that business customers and consumers adopting laptop cards are using the faster speeds for music and video. "I guess the proof is in the customer usage numbers," Nelson said. "Data usage has increased to more than 26% of overall Verizon Wireless revenue, with more than half of that nonmessaging data."

He said the advertised rate is the same as a consumer promise, Nelson said, which is described on the Verizon Wireless Web site as a "typical" download speed of 600Kbit/sec to 1.4Mbit/sec, with uploads of 500Kbit/sec. to 800Kbit/sec. for a laptop card.

Jeffrey Kagan, an independent analyst, said that while business clients of Gartner might be getting complaints about 3G speeds, the issue is not as a compelling for the overwhelming number of consumers who use faster networks for video and music and quicker Web browsing.

Most wireless customers have no idea what speed they are getting or what the 3G network is supposed to provide, and they're generally impressed with faster speeds than the speeds networks provided two years ago. "Users want to see continual improvement," he said. "Forget all the labels and numbers."

Kagan and Redman both noted that speeds are affected by many factors, including the number of users on a cell tower at a given time, the local geography, any interference from nearby buildings and variations between the devices they use.