How Fast is Alltel Wireless Internet?
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While Alltel has good speeds, it falls second to Sprint and Verizon in some areas.
In our previous Alltel Wireless Internet speed review, their maximum was 2.4 Mbps (EVDO Rev. 0). Since then, they've upgraded a number of their key markets to EVDO Rev. A, effectively matching the maximum 3.1 Mbps speed of Verizon and Sprint.
Why would this happen?
Pretty simple actually. Since Verizon bought Alltel, they needed to get parts of their network up to par to make the Verizon Alltel merger smoother. An important thing to mention is this. Verizon and Sprint's networks have been fully upgraded to EVDO Revision A while Alltel's has not. That means you'll have a range of speeds depending on the Alltel coverage area you're in. In other words, Alltel wireless internet speeds will fall in one of a couple ranges:
|
Tiers |
Avg DL Speed |
Avg UL Speed |
Max DL Speed |
Max UL speed |
|
400-700 Kbps |
20-50 Kbps |
2.4 Mbps |
153 Kbps |
|
|
3,000 Kbps |
??? |
6 Mbps |
1.8 Mbps |
|
400-700 Kbps |
20-50 Kbps |
2.4 Mbps |
153 Kbps |
|
600-1400 Kbps |
500-800 Kbps |
3.1 Mbps |
1.8 Mbps |
And for the visual folks:
While these graphs show the average speeds, here's the full deal. In EVDO Rev. A areas, average speeds are "600-1400 Kbps [downloading], peaking at 3.1 Mbps, and 350-500 Kbps average upload speeds, peaking at 1.8 Mbps.
In EVDO Rev 0 areas "speeds are 400-700 Kbps with peak rates up to 2 Mbps, and at average upload speeds of 40-70 Kbps with peak rates up to 144 Kbps".
For everywhere else think, dialup speeds.
Sometimes it helps to see how fast what you're using right now is to get an idea of what these speeds are like. Here'a a tool to do just that:
Now that we've got a grip on Alltel Wireless Internet Speed, let's take a look at the Alltel Coverage Area for 3G (Mobile Broadband).
In addition to the regular fine print, there is also one word of caution. While before making a decision on Alltel Wireless Internet, know that they've been purchased by Verizon. On their site, they have a 'Verizon Wireless Integration FAQs' page that explains the transition. While it's not happening immediately, in coming months, the Alltel name will be no more.
Here's what that may mean for you. If you decide to get Alltel now, and Verizon does not 'grandfather in' your old unlimited plans, you will most likely be able to cancel without any sort of early termination fee as they've effectively broken the contract that you had with Alltel. In my experience, I had my Sprint unlimited mobile broadband plan grandfathered in and I happily download without fear of overage charges. With Alltel things may be different. Consider this your heads up.
