AT&T Wireless Internet Speed

The Facts

AT&T Wireless Internet (also known as BroadbandConnect or LaptopConnect) speed tests show average download speeds ranging from 600-1400 kbps and upload speeds ranging 500-800 kbps.

Before we go any further, if this stuff is like a foreign language to you, I suggest going through the "Wireless Broadband Exposed" mini-course.

Mmm...regurgitated numbers...how appetizing. How we give that some meaning by putting it in perspective. Think DSL that works anywhere you cell phone does.





Following recent upgrades, speed bursts in certain areas now reach 1.7 Mbps. This is close to the speeds of Sprint and Verizon networks in EVDO Revision A areas.

So who has the fastest network?

AT&T now claims that they are the fastest network. While it's still debatable, they definitely will by the end of the year.

Speeds are expected to reach 7.2 Mbps. That's twice as fast as EVDO Revision A technology that Verizon and Sprint (and now Alltel) operate on. By the end of 2009, AT&T expects to be in the range of 20Mbps.

Real world tests have found Sprint, Verizon and AT&T to be the fastest depending on time and location. Thanks to their network being built on HSDPA/UMTS^(pop-out) technology (High Speed Downlink Packet Access/Universal Mobile Telephone System) theoretical speeds of 14.4 Mbps. far off.

AT&T will have step it up as EVDO Revision B debut lingers around the corner.

Experts state that speed bursts of up to 14.7 Mbit/s would then put EVDO on par with HSPDA/UTMS technology. Plans are already in the works to have LTE (Long Term Evolution) up and running to reach speeds around 200 Mbps.

That's Really Fast

If all this talk of speed isn't making much sense to you, use the speed test below to see what you have now. Things normally make sense once you can compare it to something.

With future speeds, services such as High Definition video streaming will be possible. Music albums will come in seconds, while full length DVD quality movies will come in minutes. Obviously, nice improvements are well on the way.

Wondering what current AT&T speeds are like? They're pretty much standard.

The mobile broadband speed you get will vary largely based on where you are.

Use the AT&T Coverage Viewer to see what things will be like in your neck of the woods.

Generally speaking though, There are three four different speed classes on AT&T's network that you can fall into since they added 17,000 Starbucks WiFi locations:

Location	Connection Type	Speed (kilobits per sec)	Speed (kilobytes/s)
Partner Locations	WiFi	3,000 - 20,000 Kbps	375 KB/s - 2,500 KB/s
Urban Areas	3G	600 - 1,400 Kbps	73.2 KB/s - 170.8 KB/s
Interstates	EDGE	200 - 400 Kbps	24.4 KB/s - 48.8 KB/s
Rural Areas	GPRS	56 - 114 Kbps	6.8 KB/s - 13.9 KB/s

To see how your current speed matches up, use the tool below:

To see how AT&T's speed is compared to other providers, check the carrier comparison.

In EDGE and GPRS areas, the speed is most suited for viewing light web pages and email. For 3G and WiFi areas, users can expect to:

• Download email with ease
• Stream music
• Stream video
• Download individual songs
• Surf the internet
• Use Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) such as Skype and Digital Phone Service

Don't expect to:

• Download movies
• Play online games
• Use BitTorrent or any P2P software constantly (i.e. Limewire)  

All things you shouldn't expect are limited by AT&T's 5 GB cap, not the speed of the network. As a matter of fact, there is a lengthy descriptive clause (aka boring) in AT&T's terms of service that lays out what they want you to do on their network:

"Examples of prohibited uses include, without limitation, the following:

(i) server devices or host computer applications, including, but not limited to, Web camera posts or broadcasts, automatic data feeds, automated machine-to-machine connections or peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing;

(ii) as a substitute or backup for private lines, landlines or full-time or dedicated data connections;

(iii) "auto-responders," "cancel-bots," or similar automated or manual routines which generate excessive amounts of net traffic, or which disrupt net user groups or email use by others;

(iv) "spam" or unsolicited commercial or bulk email (or activities that have the effect of facilitating unsolicited commercial email or unsolicited bulk email);

(v) any activity that adversely affects the ability of other people or systems to use either AT&T's wireless services or other parties' Internet-based resources, including "denial of service" (DoS) attacks against another network host or individual user;

(vi) accessing, or attempting to access without authority, the accounts of others, or to penetrate, or attempt to penetrate, security measures of AT&T's wireless network or another entity's network or systems; 

(vii) software or other devices that maintain continuous active Internet connections when a computer's connection would otherwise be idle or any "keep alive" functions, unless they adhere to AT&T's data retry requirements, which may be changed from time to time. This means, by way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet, downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, redirecting television signals for viewing on Personal Computers, web broadcasting, and/or for the operation of servers, telemetry devices and/or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition devices is prohibited."

What's interesting about this is the catch all phrase in here that allows them kick you off the network for anything that might look illegal:

"Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to

(i) deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage and

(ii) otherwise protect its wireless network from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance, which may impact legitimate data flows


These statements eerily remind me of a few Comcast horror stories.

Outside of all this legal chitchat, AT&T's speed is on par with the major industry players. As far as mobile broadband goes, it's good. If you take into account the heavy regulation, it's average.

To see how AT&T's speed is compared to other providers, check the carrier comparison. Read on to see how AT&T's coverage is in your area, click here...

 

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