US wireless carriers dropping the ball on 3G data network performance

Add another strike to AT&T’s list of 3G-related complaints. A new study from Gartner attacks US wireless carriers for failing to make good on their promises of delivering “high-speed” wireless data through their respective 3G networks. The Big Four (AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile) all failed to meet their advertised mobile “broadband” speeds.

The Gartner study brings into question US wireless carriers’ advertising tactics that market their 3G data services as “broadband” services. The study notes that while the accepted definition requires that “broadband” data services offer throughput of at least 1.5Mbps for downloads and at least 250Kbps for uploads, none of the Big Four US carriers could deliver on those kinds of speeds. Gartner reports that all carriers showed 3G data speeds “generally between 300Kbit/sec and 700Kbit/sec lower” than what was advertised, though it notes that carriers “don’t guarantee these speeds, but advertise they can provide ‘up to’ advertised speeds.”

Notably, AT&T and the iPhone 3Gwere singled out in the report as most disappointing in 3G performance (following on news that Apple has been sued again for 3G performance in its iPhone 3G). The report mentions that the iPhone 3G wouldn’t support data speeds in excess of 1.4Mbps, while laptop data cards were pulling down data at up to 1.7Mbps. Gartner goes on to advise that “Companies shouldn’t expect the fastest network speeds on the iPhone 3G.”

In response to the attack, AT&T spokesperson Mark Siegel says that “We deliver to customers on speeds,” and goes on to attack the Gartner report’s data as being based “on anecdotal feedback from only 30 customers to fashion some sweeping generalizations about us in particular.”

Of course, data speeds on all wireless networks are subject to network load, geographical location, and interference, so it’s only reasonable that real-world data speeds will never reach theoretical maximums (which is what carriers love to advertise). Just use your faster 3G data connection, it’s unhealthy obsessing over little things like data throughput – trust us, we know.

[Via: ComputerWorld]