Develop Bugs

[Q] Question regarding HSPA+ technicality

I'm not versed in spectrum-talk, so here it goes: Why is it that T-Mobile HSPA+ states peak speeds of 21.6 Mbps, yet the G2 states peak speeds of 14.4 Mbps?
Also, what is the difference between HSDPA+ and HSPA+?

The HSPA+ network is capable of 21 Mbps, but the HSPA+ radio chip in the G2 is only rated at 14.4 Mbps. Currently the only device tmobile has that is capable of 21 Mbps is the web connect rocket.
HSPA = High Speed Packet Acces
HSPA includes both
HSDPA = High Speed Downlink Packet Access
and
HSUPA = High Speed Uplink Packet Access
HSPA+ = HSPA of 14.4 Mbps or faster (21 Mbps or the next step is 42 Mbps.

joebobjoe said:
I'm not versed in spectrum-talk, so here it goes: Why is it that T-Mobile HSPA+ states peak speeds of 21.6 Mbps, yet the G2 states peak speeds of 14.4 Mbps?
Also, what is the difference between HSDPA+ and HSPA+?
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HSPA+(3.75G) is actually newer and faster than HSDPA+(3.5G). In terms of speed, theoretically HSPA+ can reach speeds of 56Mbit/s while HSDPA+ can reach 21Mbit/s. Though in really the fastest your going to get for HSPA+ is 21.6 Mbps. As for why the G2 14.4 Mbps I have no clue. but its faster then my home internet

mtl171,
Technically HSPA+ consists of HSDPA+ and HSUPA+ just like HSPA contains both HSDPA and HSUPA.
I agree that we are unlikely to see HSPA+ networks faster than 21 Mbps in the U.S., I think carriers including T-Mobile will be investing in LTE before 42 Mbps HSPA+ especially since the speed on 21 Mbps is on par with many home broadband connections.
LTE has more benefits for carriers than just speed.

atlp99 said:
Technically HSPA+ consists of HSDPA+ and HSUPA+ just like HSPA contains both HSDPA and HSUPA.
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my bad. forgot about that.
atlp99 said:
I agree that we are unlikely to see HSPA+ networks faster than 21 Mbps in the U.S., I think carriers including T-Mobile will be investing in LTE before 42 Mbps HSPA+ especially since the speed on 21 Mbps is on par with many home broadband connections. LTE has more benefits for carriers than just speed.
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True. though i thought Verizon and AT&T were going for LTE while T-Mobile and Sprint are going with Wi-Max. though i might be mistaken...

Well there are rumors about a merger between Clearwire and T-Mobile.
Anyway, does HSDPA+/HSPA+ rely on MIMO?

Sprint is the only carrier using WiMax
T-Mobile is also going to LTE.
Verizon , ATT, and T-Mobile have all committed to LTE for long term 4G networks.
Sprint is the only one using WiMax, and there is a chance they will switch to LTE also in the long run. Clearwire (which Sprint the majority shareholder) has indicated that their WiMax network could be converted to LTE without much effort.
T-Mobile is deploying HSPA+ currently before deploying LTE.
This makes sense to me, since the speeds of HSPA+ are higher than LTE will be at launch and T-Mobile does not have the network congestion problems that ATT and Verizon have. The biggest advantage of LTE is increased network capacity because of more efficient spectrum usage. I don't think that LTE speeds will pass HSPA+ speeds for at least a couple of years, but LTE has the potential to be faster in the long run.
Verizon is starting to deploy LTE for data cards the end of this year and is rumored to be launching LTE handsets towards the last half of 2011. Depending on the rumors, they may be running behind due to issues with calling over LTE but there are conflicting rumors at this point.

Joebojoe,
HSPA+ running at 42 Mbps and above technology similar to MIMO to download from 2 towers simultaneously.
There are rumors about a Clearwire and T-Mobile partnership. It could make sense for them to partner together for a LTE network roll out, and Clearwire has indicated that it could switch its network over to LTE or run LTE and WiMax.
The other option that has been rumored is that T-Mobile would simply buy some of the excess spectrum that Clearwire has.
Either of those options could make sense, but are just rumors with no real facts to support them. It's fun speculating though.

Thanks for the reply, yet I'm still curious why the G2 is labelled HSPA+ yet only supports 14.4 Mbps. 14.4 Mbps sounds more like HSDPA to me.

joebobjoe said:
Thanks for the reply, yet I'm still curious why the G2 is labelled HSPA+ yet only supports 14.4 Mbps. 14.4 Mbps sounds more like HSDPA to me.
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idk. design limitations? its still plenty fast. highly doubt people actually get 14.4 Mbps on a HSDPA connection.
Update: its design limitations. According to Qualcomm's website, "MSM7230(proccessor used in G2) support for HSPA+ networks - up to 14 Mbps downloads and 5.76 Mbps uploads"

Like mtl171 posted the 14.4 Mbps speed on the G2 is a limitation of the chipset. I don't think any of the chipsets available for phones HSPA+ at 21 Mbps. The next generation 1.2 and 1.5 Ghz Snapdragon chipsets are supposed to be capable of faster data speeds (if i remember correctly)but they have not reached the market yet.
Joebobjoe,
HSPA and HSPA+ are basically versions of the same technology Hspa+ is the newest iteration. The main difference is the speed.

Please explain... if there are chipsets that support it for the usb dongle, why can't the same thing work on a phone? Have they just not made the chipset small enough for a phone yet?

rpmccormick said:
Please explain... if there are chipsets that support it for the usb dongle, why can't the same thing work on a phone? Have they just not made the chipset small enough for a phone yet?
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patience young one the geniuses at qualcomm are working on this. meanwhile we just need to patiently wait a year or so for them to release it

Aren't those chipsets coming out in January?

joebobjoe said:
Aren't those chipsets coming out in January?
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to tell you the truth, i don't know. but my guess is phones released next year should support it.

Last I heard the 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon chipsets should be released to handset manufacturers late this year or early next year. Then add a couple of months for manufacturers to get handsets built with them, so probably late Q1 for those handsets to get market
rpmccormick,
The chipset in the usb dongle only has to transmit data, it does not have support the other functions of a phone (O.S., wifi, Bluetooth, screen, audio, video, power management, etc..), plus since the usb pulls power from your computer so power management is not as important. The usb dongle uses a much simpler chipset, that only has to transmit data while your computer handles everything else.

atlp99 said:
Last I heard the 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon chipsets should be released to handset manufacturers late this year or early next year. Then add a couple of months for manufacturers to get handsets built with them, so probably late Q1 for those handsets to get market.
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1.2 ghz early next year. 1.5 dualcore Q4 next year.
http://androidandme.com/2010/09/news/is-qualcomm-and-htc-in-trouble-with-their-dual-core-processors/

Bringing this back since its relavant now....
So just found out about the new Samsung Galaxy S 4g with the new chipsets that give 21+ theroetical speeds....
I am a VERY VERY angry G2 owner who while loves my phone am very upset to find that I will be getting much less speeds out of their network labeled the SAME on both devices. I think this was a VERY deceiving move and hope that with enough complaints we can get some sort of retribution like lower data plan price or what not (the what not are better solutions like a free upgrade but i know those things dont happen as easy)
The only hope is that it can be updated to use 21+ from 14+ but this is HIGHLY unlikely.
Im curious to see what others think of this?
EDIT: this is a smart forum so lets not discuss the fact that not all areas will have that speed and just pretend that im in a market that already is pushing that when using one of those usb sticks..

no6969el said:
So just found out about the new Samsung Galaxy S 4g with the new chipsets that give 21+ theroetical speeds....
I am a VERY VERY angry G2 owner who while loves my phone am very upset to find that I will be getting much less speeds out of their network labeled the SAME on both devices. I think this was a VERY deceiving move and hope that with enough complaints we can get some sort of retribution like lower data plan price or what not (the what not are better solutions like a free upgrade but i know those things dont happen as easy)
The only hope is that it can be updated to use 21+ from 14+ but this is HIGHLY unlikely.
Im curious to see what others think of this?
EDIT: this is a smart forum so lets not discuss the fact that not all areas will have that speed and just pretend that im in a market that already is pushing that when using one of those usb sticks..
Click to expand...
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you had a 4G galaxy s side by side with a G2 the galaxy s would very rarely achieve higher speeds. The G2 is a high end android phone that will not be obsolete anytime soon. You could always hold out for the next great phone but no matter what there will always be something better in a few months.
You should be happy about your decision to buy a G2 because its a fast, solid device and still the best phone in Tmo's lineup.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Seriously you are getting that upset? Why do people get so uptight about so many things? Like the previous poster stated, real world is different. But technology moves forward, it doesn't stop for anyone. Life is much more difficult then getting one or two mbps less then another phone. I would be more upset if we never get a gingerbread update (yeah I know I would never use it seeing as I'm a xda member running cm7) simply because of principal. The whole vibrant fiasco would have me really ticked. It wasn't until people really started calling it out and got really loud did things really happen.
Sent from my HTC Vision

new WP7 for ATT in the near future??

i spoke to a guy at ATT the other day and he told me that theyre going to be releasing a new wp7 for att in late march/ early april...
its supposed to be 4g the whole 9 yards i guess..
has anybody else heard of this or have any details on it??
im running 2g on an unlocked tmobile hd7 and its be good to have a similiar phone running on H+ or at least 3g

Haven't heard anything myself. If they do, I just hope its an HTC solid body.

I read a rumor on a site(WMpower?) that the hd7 may be coming. Don't know if that would help you out though

Well.... the focus can do 4g speeds right now they just have it throttled down by default. So technically ATT already has a wp7 4g phone.
Focus 4G speed settings
I can tell you this much... Both my wife and I have the focus and after I applied the changes I was getting speeds on mobile speed test roughly 2 times faster then she was.... I was getting speeds between 2000 kbps (just under what they have 4G speeds at) and around 3000 kbps or more (well over what they have listed as 4G)
I just did a speed test a second ago and I'm at 2336 kbps.. my wife's is under 1000... same place.. same phone... way WAY different speeds

Aaron McCarthy said:
Well.... the focus can do 4g speeds right now they just have it throttled down by default. So technically ATT already has a wp7 4g phone.
Focus 4G speed settings
I can tell you this much... Both my wife and I have the focus and after I applied the changes I was getting speeds on mobile speed test roughly 2 times faster then she was.... I was getting speeds between 2000 kbps (just under what they have 4G speeds at) and around 3000 kbps or more (well over what they have listed as 4G)
I just did a speed test a second ago and I'm at 2336 kbps.. my wife's is under 1000... same place.. same phone... way WAY different speeds
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That's a bit misleading. The specs on the Samsung Focus state that it has HSDPA and HSUPA support, which equate to HSPA when both are enabled.
4G is considered to be LTE or WiMax (and even still, those technologies are considered pre-4G). The problem is that T-Mobile is marketing their HSPA+ network as a 4G network. Currently, Sprint has a 4G roadmap using Clear's WiMax network. Verizon has already begun building out their LTE network. AT&T is wrapping up their HSPA+ rollout before they begin on the LTE network. Since they are late in the marketing game, AT&T has gone to T-Mobile's level and marketed their HSPA+ network as 4G.
Ultimately, out of the 4 carriers above, T-Mobile will shoot themselves in the foot by not having a true 4G rollout plan and relying on marketing their HSPA+ network as 4G.
Bottomline -- Samsung Focus supports HSPA, not HSPA+ or LTE.
Michael.

Moving from T-mo to ATT, ATT Gnexus users pls offer suggestions?

Hi fellow nexus users, I have a UK handset that I got from handtec I've been using on tmobile for the past couple weeks and I really enjoy it.
However my family wants to move our plan to ATT asap for various reasons.
Is there anything I should know? We all have unlocked phones (and nobody but me cares about 3g/4g) so I want to go month to month, I don't want to get into a contract.
Any plans that you guys think are good, and will work well with the galaxy nexus?
We're lookin for about a 1000 minutes shared between the 4 of us, data plans on all phones, no texting (We all use google talk or bbm).

I just did the same thing. Switched from Tmo to ATT
Im on the 450min plan with unlimited messaging. Unlimited messaging gives you unlimited mobile to mobile minutes for any cell phone on any network. I rarely if ever call landlines so this plan works for me - all my calling is free and i barely dent the 450 min allotted for other calls.
Im also on the 2GB dataplan. ATT does not reject the IMEI in the GN: they just add a generic smartphone data plan to your phone. If you want a "4G" plan you need to have the ATT rep input the IMEI of a 4G phone such as the Atrix. With the non 4G plan in Miami Im getting around 3down and 1up pretty consistently whereas on TMo i was getting 3-4up and .8-1 down (only outside, never indoors).
If you bring your device in to the store you can sign up for service and not be on a contract. They only bind you if you get a subsidized phone. I am currently contract free. As an added benefit, I no longer drop coverage walking into buildings and ATT doesnt have the MMS bug that TMo does.

Wondering why would you ever switch from T-Mobile to AT&T if you're in a metro area. T-Mobile has much cheaper plans, better data speeds, and full duplex voice.
I'm not sure if you guys did the right thing, but good luck.

milan03 said:
Wondering why would you ever switch from T-Mobile to AT&T if you're in a metro area. T-Mobile has much cheaper plans, better data speeds, and full duplex voice.
I'm not sure if you guys did the right thing, but good luck.
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T-Mobile does have cheaper plans but does not always have better data speeds (location dependant). It's really hit or miss speed wise in Chicago. Both networks get bogged down by congestion. Recently I haven't seen large deviations in speed in Chicago, Charlotte, Newark, Atlanta or Denver, but YMMV.
I see almost identical data speeds usually between the two carriers with AT&T being a bit more consistent and T-Mobile peaking a little higher but overall being less consistent.
There are instances where T-Mobile's backhaul / lesser congestion has helped. Atlantic City saw around 7mbps with T-Mobile and only 3 mbps on AT&T at the airport but T-Mobile also had some nasty dead spots and tower issues there that caused AT&T to be a more effective option outside of the airport. I was stuck on a 3G connection that was slower than Edge (I literally forced the phone into Edge so that the data connection was usable).
The *much* bigger advantage that AT&T can offer is using the 850 Mhz spectrum over T-Mobile's 1700/2100 combo for 3G/4G. 850 penetrates building much better. With T-Mobile I'd often drop to edge inside of buildings whereas I'll stay on 3G/4G (HSPA) with AT&T. AT&T does not utilize 850 everywhere, but where they do the signal penetration is much appreciated.

krohnjw said:
T-Mobile does have cheaper plans but does not always have better data speeds (location dependant). It's really hit or miss speed wise in Chicago. Both networks get bogged down by congestion. Recently I haven't seen large deviations in speed in Chicago, Charlotte, Newark, Atlanta or Denver, but YMMV.
I see almost identical data speeds usually between the two carriers with AT&T being a bit more consistent and T-Mobile peaking a little higher but overall being less consistent.
There are instances where T-Mobile's backhaul / lesser congestion has helped. Atlantic City saw around 7mbps with T-Mobile and only 3 mbps on AT&T at the airport but T-Mobile also had some nasty dead spots and tower issues there that caused AT&T to be a more effective option outside of the airport. I was stuck on a 3G connection that was slower than Edge (I literally forced the phone into Edge so that the data connection was usable).
The *much* bigger advantage that AT&T can offer is using the 850 Mhz spectrum over T-Mobile's 1700/2100 combo for 3G/4G. 850 penetrates building much better. With T-Mobile I'd often drop to edge inside of buildings whereas I'll stay on 3G/4G (HSPA) with AT&T. AT&T does not utilize 850 everywhere, but where they do the signal penetration is much appreciated.
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I agree 100%. I could get faster speed tests with TMo standing outside - Inside buildings I can barely break 2mbps down. I get much more consistant results with ATT everywhere. The cost didn't seem worth the lesser service.
I drop from full bars coverage to 1 bar EDGE / no service the minute i walk into my one story office building at work. At my desk I often miss messages (i get them later than I need to) and cant make calls. With full 3G signal I type in a website and it takes a while to start loading, in comparison ATT is almost instant
Maybe theoretically TMo is a good deal but in South Florida I get much much better service with ATT. I've switched between them a few times (whenever I see a phone I like) and Im sure I made the right decision.

Does anyone know of any official plans by att to offer the GN subsidized? I know that if anyone actually knew anything, it would be reposted everywhere, but even a glimmer of hope will be welcome.

In NYC metro area T-Mobile is running circles around AT&T's network in terms of data speeds, latency and especially voice quality. I've seen speeds approaching 30mbps on T-Mobile's 42mbps DC-HSPA handsets and 18mpbs on my GN using $30 PrePaid plan.
AT&T crawls down to EDGE speeds and sometimes time outs during the peak hours when the data becomes unusable. Dropped calls are day to day reality, and I've grown accustomed to that and never ever make important calls using AT&T's network. Plus the plans are almost twice as high. Not recommended.

What is the $30 prepaid plan you use? How many minutes do you get with that?

kinggheedora said:
What is the $30 prepaid plan you use? How many minutes do you get with that?
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100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.

milan03 said:
100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.
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Could you link me to this plan?
What do you mean by "Full Duplex Voice" on T-Mo vs ATT

milan03 said:
100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.
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Yeah it's the ONLY reason I was willing to buy an unlocked Nexus and go T-mobile, was going to wait for VZ.
I came from Virgin Mobile's 300min version, I would call the t-mobile plan perfect if it was 200 minute, but it's still an insane deal.
As is, I'm using groove IP to make calls out when I'm in wifi in order to save minutes in case I'm out and I need to use my voice minutes.
But $30 for 5GB of H+ is just awesome sauce!

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
I'm on $30 plan myself. At home I use GrooveIP on wifi for VOIP and no minutes used (technically only needing minutes outside of my place).
Saving HUNDREDS of dollars a year is worth it over the slightly slower speeds I get on Tmo over ATT. Also helps pay for the price of the GN easily.
Plus I'm using a company that is much more customer-friendly. Lower plan prices when off contract are something to be supported.

I just wish T-Mobile had International Data plans. I travel to Europe once a month, and $15/mb for international data roaming insane when you can buy 125mb international data plan from AT&T for $50/mo.

ksujace said:
What do you mean by "Full Duplex Voice" on T-Mo vs ATT
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It has to do with how the receive (RX) and transmission (TX) audio are handled. You can either have both RX and TX on 100% of the time or they can be multiplexed into one channel to save bandwidth. It's a misnomer because half-duplex usually means something like this:
Caller1: Hello. Over.
Caller2: Hello. Over.
Caller1: What are...(interrupted)
Caller2: Are you... oh, sorry... Go ahead.
Caller1: What?
Caller2: Huh? Oh. Go ahead! Over.
Caller1: I hate this AT&T half-duplex CB radio crap! When will they get full-duplex??? Over.
Caller2: Can you repeat that? Over.
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ksujace said:
I just wish T-Mobile had International Data plans. I travel to Europe once a month, and $15/mb for international data roaming insane when you can buy 125mb international data plan from AT&T for $50/mo.
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If you're there that often, I'd suggest a prepaid SIM. It's not as if AT&T international data plans are economical. I racked up close to $400 of roaming last month for a two week trip to London. All expensed, so no biggie. But it's still pants down, no lube.

ianwood said:
If you're there that often, I'd suggest a prepaid SIM. It's not as if AT&T international data plans are economical. I racked up close to $400 of roaming last month for a two week trip to London. All expensed, so no biggie. But it's still pants down, no lube.
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I'm in the same boat , all expensed , so don't really care. I don't like having multiple phone #'s when over there. (travel to Switzerland 1 week every month)

tmobile is awesome if i stay outside or never travel. But then, so is cricket.

milan03 said:
100 minutes, unlimited data (5GB of 4G speeds then lowered to EDGE), unlimited texting, pre paid no commitment. It's honestly my dream plan.
Click to expand...
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Do you have any idea on how bad AT&T throttles speeds on their unlimited data plan?

LTE vs HSPA+ Pros and Cons ?

Can anyone explain this to me ? All I hear is LTE kills battery, so whats the point of LTE when T-mobile HSPA+ 42Mbps has pretty much the same speed as LTE without causing any battery drain. And why would you need 30Mbps anyway on a limited data plan ? My current Tmobile 3G (not 4G or HSPA+) pulls anywhere from 2.5-5.0 Mbps right now....on older HD2 and Nexus One

GSM version of Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile does not go up to 41Mbps speeds. It can only go up to 21Mb (this is the reasoning why Galaxy S2 on T-Mobile went with Qualcomm's CPU instead of Samsung's Exynos to hit 41Mbps speeds), this is all speaking theoretically as well. Realistically, I haven't gotten to those speeds.
And people "need 30Mbps" on their phones simply because.... they can.

HSPA+ in its current implementation is definitely not as fast as Verizon's LTE, but as you said it surely is fast and it is more than enough for most people. You can definitely expect upwards of 10mbps down, which is great.
Its really a personal call. Some people are on Verizon because its the only carrier available consistently in their area, or they've been a long-time customer, or they're part of a family plan with others on Verizon.
If you're on T-mobile and happy with your service, you're definitely saving money staying with them. If you can buy it unlocked it is definitely a good choice. You're not missing out on anything by staying with T-Mo and the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus.

Cause we like to stream stuff?
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

zephiK said:
GSM version of Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile does not go up to 41Mbps speeds. It can only go up to 21Mb (this is the reasoning why Galaxy S2 on T-Mobile went with Qualcomm's CPU instead of Samsung's Exynos to hit 41Mbps speeds), this is all speaking theoretically as well. Realistically, I haven't gotten to those speeds.
And people "need 30Mbps" on their phones simply because.... they can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats your speed in NYC ?
martonikaj said:
HSPA+ in its current implementation is definitely not as fast as Verizon's LTE, but as you said it surely is fast and it is more than enough for most people. You can definitely expect upwards of 10mbps down, which is great.
Its really a personal call. Some people are on Verizon because its the only carrier available consistently in their area, or they've been a long-time customer, or they're part of a family plan with others on Verizon.
If you're on T-mobile and happy with your service, you're definitely saving money staying with them. If you can buy it unlocked it is definitely a good choice. You're not missing out on anything by staying with T-Mo and the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My buddy has been testing his Nexus and Droid X on Verizon....Nexus got up to 27mbps and DroidX on 3G pulled only 500kbps. I mean I would rather get constant 2-3mbps then switchs between LTE 27m and CDMA 500k. I want to switch to Verizon because it will be the same price as Tmobile, but I am affraid that LTE will kill battery and CDMA is dirt slow. I am in Boston area by the way.
also some reviews say that LTE kills battery while car charging....this just scares me.....i can stream music + use Google navigation at the same time and have brightness at auto and i still dont charge my phone in car....my 1250 battery in HD2 lasts 12-14 hours on that heavy use.

kolyan said:
but I am affraid that LTE will kill battery and CDMA is dirt slow.
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Both of these things are very true.

I have the LTE nexus, and yes, LTE does do a number on the battery, and yes, it is ever so slightly thicker. however, I'm pulling 10 mb/s down in a very poor coverage area, and a reliable 40+ mb/s down when I get closer to the city. (I live on an away facing side of a hill a few miles outside of a town). Also, without 4g, atleast in my area, I can pull 1-2 mb/s down, but thats not as reliable. I like that speed, and I am willing to charge my phone twice in a day.
In all reality, you wont notice too much of a difference between 10-20 mb/s (HSPA+) and 30-50 mb/s (LTE in my area) on a phone. What you will notice is the difference between coverage and no coverage. Which again favors the Verizon model.

These are THEORETICAL max speeds you are talking about.
In reality the speeds you get will be no where close to the theoretical max speeds the technology can handle. Those speeds might be attainable if you are the only one on the network and are standing under a cell tower.
T-Mobile HSPA+ speeds in NYC are 5.4mbps down, and 1.6mbps up (tested on my friend's International Galaxy Nexus)
LTE max theoretical speed is 299.6 mbps. In reality the speeds I tested in NYC on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus are 26.79mbps down and 7.20mbps up.
http://www.speedtest.net/android/114425608.png

Results will vary but I pull 1-1.5Mbps on 3g so I can live with that. Verizon is the only carrier at my house. T-Mobile doest have coverage in the rural area where I live. If I went with them I'd only have service at work and while running errands downtown.
I get 3g at home and LTE just a few miles away. Part of me wishes that I could use T-Mobile but its not practical where I live and do business.
One last thing, LTE reception is great in the basement of my workplace!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I'm curious to see Verizon LTE speeds once people start buying LTE phones.

It is almost important to note that LTE is not only faster, but also capable of keeping the signal while you are moving rather fast. Like in cars and trains
Sent from Galaxy Nexus hspa+ 16gb

I get 40-50 mb/s down and 10-20 up, thats why

kolyan said:
Can anyone explain this to me ? All I hear is LTE kills battery, so whats the point of LTE when T-mobile HSPA+ 42Mbps has pretty much the same speed as LTE without causing any battery drain. And why would you need 30Mbps anyway on a limited data plan ? My current Tmobile 3G (not 4G or HSPA+) pulls anywhere from 2.5-5.0 Mbps right now....on older HD2 and Nexus One
Click to expand...
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I think you are answering your own question. TMo and AT&T will be slower but use less battery. In the end I'd just decide if you want to be on Verizon or want a GSM phone. Your call.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

kolyan said:
Can anyone explain this to me ? All I hear is LTE kills battery, so whats the point of LTE when T-mobile HSPA+ 42Mbps has pretty much the same speed as LTE without causing any battery drain. And why would you need 30Mbps anyway on a limited data plan ? My current Tmobile 3G (not 4G or HSPA+) pulls anywhere from 2.5-5.0 Mbps right now....on older HD2 and Nexus One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE does kill the battery, but there is an extended battery (Still, I'm not sure how well the battery life improves with the extended battery)
The speed is all about how you feel and what you need. I'd say if you get great LTE coverage in your area and where you're going to be and you'd be fine with the smaller battery life and such, go for the LTE model. HSPA+ speeds are proven to be slower than the LTE speeds (i've seen some users get up to 15-16 down and 12-13 UP while HSPA+ get's us 8-10 DOWN 5-9 UP) But what are you going to do with the 15 mb/s speed?
Since you are T-Mobile, I don't know if you're going to have to switch data plans to access the HSPA+ speeds as some people who are on AT&T (including me) had to do this as well.

rexdog1888 said:
I get 40-50 mb/s down and 10-20 up, thats why
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And what can you do with that, that you can't do with 10 mb/s down on HSPA+?

[hfm] said:
I think you are answering your own question. TMo and AT&T will be slower but use less battery. In the end I'd just decide if you want to be on Verizon or want a GSM phone. Your call.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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lol...not that easy. I am on Tmo with contract (200 to break now and 100 in a month) I very much prefer GSM over Verizon, but my wife doesn't get any service at work. I am somewhat happy with Tmo, I get service everywhere but when I go places like skiing there is usually just 2g with GPRS or EDGE at best.....I have no idea about Verizon. My battery is just amazing.... I never use any chargers other then at night. Price for service will be the same at both, but I will have to make new 2 year contract at Verizon, I will also get Nexus for myself at $150 and Incredible for wife for free....so new phones is nice to get... my wife not really happy with current Nexus One and I would love to have GN. If I stay with Tmo.... paying 650+ for NS is pricy....

kolyan said:
lol...not that easy. I am on Tmo with contract (200 to break now and 100 in a month) I very much prefer GSM over Verizon, but my wife doesn't get any service at work. I am somewhat happy with Tmo, I get service everywhere but when I go places like skiing there is usually just 2g with GPRS or EDGE at best.....I have no idea about Verizon. My battery is just amazing.... I never use any chargers other then at night. Price for service will be the same at both, but I will have to make new 2 year contract at Verizon, I will also get Nexus for myself at $150 and Incredible for wife for free....so new phones is nice to get... my wife not really happy with current Nexus One and I would love to have GN. If I stay with Tmo.... paying 650+ for NS is pricy....
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Well, lets weigh out the pros and cons.
VERIZON
Pros:
1) You only spend about 400 going with Verizon.
2) Your wife may get signal at work.
Cons:
1) Battery life using LTE (But you can always turn off LTE)
2) Your wife may not get signal at work. (You never know..)
TMO
Pros:
1) You stay with a company that you've known and have been with for a while.
2) You get to have the flexibility of staying on a GSM provider. Meaning you get the freedom of switching world phones whenever you need to and not having to get it activated and what not.
Cons:
1) You spend more money. (About 250 more just for the GN, and maybe more for your wife's new phone.
2) Your wife will still not get any signal at work.
I guess its really what makes your wife happy. ;D Kidding. I'd bet on Verizon, but only if having a weak battery and not having places to charge your phone aren't complete deal breakers.
Speed won't really be a BIG BIG factor because while LTE and HSPA realtime speeds do differ, the coverage area for both aren't super complete. In both cases, you'll be constrained to 3G/HSPA. But then again this has to do with your coverage area that we know nothing about.

going to Verizon with 2 new phones, Google Voice porting, and paying Tmobile cancelation fee should all be pretty much covered by selling my tmo phones. My wife doesnt really care if she gets service at work she is not picky. In reallity i guess its all about me wanting Nexus and better coverage, but cdma and lte is a big compromise for me.
i'll figure this out soon.....

Think of it this way,
You can get 2 Ferraris:
One with the original Ferrari engine.
And one with 4 cylinder engine in it.
You will do 30 mpg on your 4 cylinder engine Ferrari and will get to the same place as the other Ferrari goes, but just a "little bit" slower.
I made the switch to Verizon and not planing on swapping to a 4 cylinder engine any time soon.

martonikaj said:
And what can you do with that, that you can't do with 10 mb/s down on HSPA+?
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Anything you can do on a home internet service.

Is it normal/acceptable for "4g" speeds to be less than 2 Mb?

About a month ago my area upgraded from EDGE to HSPA+. I finally decided to play with the speedtest.net app yesterday and I was only managing download speeds of maybe 1 or 2Mb, on a good test. This is enough for casual use, I suppose, but most people (on this board at least) seem to be getting much better speeds than that. A nearby area where the State University resides also produces similar speeds on my GNex and my previous phone (AT&T Galaxy S2).
Is this normal or do I need to change something on my phone?

blackplague1347 said:
About a month ago my area upgraded from EDGE to HSPA+. I finally decided to play with the speedtest.net app yesterday and I was only managing download speeds of maybe 1 or 2Mb, on a good test. This is enough for casual use, I suppose, but most people (on this board at least) seem to be getting much better speeds than that. A nearby area where the State University resides also produces similar speeds on my GNex and my previous phone (AT&T Galaxy S2).
Is this normal or do I need to change something on my phone?
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1-3mbps is pretty normal for me indoors with 2-3 bars of signal, with 4-5 or so outdoors with better signal. I can only pull down those crazy numbers of 10+ with HSPA+ late at night when the towers aren't as busy. I'm in a small town, but we've had HSPA+ for a good year or more now (heck, I was on Verizon when it was switched on, so I don't know exactly how long...). Maybe your network is still getting upgraded / installed and the process isn't done yet?
I'm on the T-mobile $30 plan, by the way. I've heard AT&T's HSPA+ can be significantly slower in some places, so that may be part of it?

if they just rolled out the towers a month ago and upgraded to HSPA+, I'm not at all surprised by those speeds.

Att's hspa is notoriously slow compared to Tmo. I see between 6 and 18 mbps on my Tmo phones and my Att phones max out at around 6, averaging around 3.
For an area that just now got hspa turned on when the rest of the country is getting LTE, those speeds you are describing seem perfectly normal.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I'm on T-Mobile and 1-2Mb is normal for me with 5 bars. If I'm extremely lucky I sometimes see 3Mb.
T-Mobile's "4G" in Phoenix is exactly the same speed as my 3G Vibrant.

Ravynmagi said:
I'm on T-Mobile and 1-2Mb is normal for me with 5 bars. If I'm extremely lucky I sometimes see 3Mb.
T-Mobile's "4G" in Phoenix is exactly the same speed as my 3G Vibrant.
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True, location also plays a big role.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I would be happy to get 6Mb down with AT&T in Austin. Max is about 3.1Mbps which I think is crap since we know it is capable of more. Interestingly, AT&T LTE in the same areas rock!

TJBunch1228 said:
Att's hspa is notoriously slow compared to Tmo. I see between 6 and 18 mbps on my Tmo phones and my Att phones max out at around 6, averaging around 3.
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Well that's also because T-Mobile has HSPA+ 42mbps deployed, and devices that can make use of it. Most AT&T devices are at best 21mbps capable, and not all of their towers are.

Depends on signal strength. On VZW LTE I can pull 20+ mbps in Seattle, but only 2-5 mbps in outlying areas.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Winesnob said:
Depends on signal strength. On VZW LTE I can pull 20+ mbps in Seattle, but only 2-5 mbps in outlying areas.
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Well, we're talking about AT&T HSPA+ in here so...

martonikaj said:
Well, we're talking about AT&T HSPA+ in here so...
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...so the thread title asked about 4g speeds. 4g = HSPA+ or LTE.

Winesnob said:
...so the thread title asked about 4g speeds. 4g = HSPA+ or LTE.
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"4g" in quotes, and OP specifically is talking about AT&T.

I'll have to run speedtest some more when I'm out of town and see what kind of numbers I can get. I would be interested to see what speeds a 3G phone gets in the same region as my "4G" Gnex (HSPA+ via AT&T, not LTE via Verizon).