Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Comparing Wireless Internet Services

Posted by michael on from the pay-per-byte dept.

Carl Oppedahl writes "AT&T has released its new "Edge" wireless Internet access service, claiming it is twice as fast (100-130K) as Sprint's "PCS Vision" wireless service (50-70K). I have written up a few comments on my experiences with the services. What data rates are others getting with Edge? I rarely get the advertised faster speeds."

2 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. The realities of mobile (cell) data rates by Nosher · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wireless data rates are not unlike modem data rates, in that you're fairly unlikely to get the maximum speed unless conditions are optimal. In the case of a modem with, say, a maximum potential speed of 56k, that normally means being within a mile of your exchange on a good line (most of the time I get connect rates of 40-48kbps). In the case of packet data on a mobile network, your base station provides a fixed number of data "slots". Your phone can negotiate for up to the maximum number of slots it can handle at once (for example, in GPRS the Nokia 7650 handles 4 "down" slots and 1 "up" (or maybe 3/1). If your cell is busy, you may only get 3, 2 or even 1 "down" slot (this direction is the one which sends data to you, and so directly influences your experience of network "speed"). Also, data rates fall off as a reciprocal of the distance to the base-station. Combine these two factors and it's easy to see that you're fairly unlikely to achieve the maximum theoretical rate, no matter what the operator tells you :-) EDGE may work slightly differently (the previous relates to GPRS) but I suspect that the principal's the same.

    --
    It's too late for me to die young
  2. Re:T-Mobile is all you can eat by davidstrauss · · Score: 5, Informative
    Looks like Sprint offers unlimited data for $80 now. That's twice as much as T-Mobile. AT&T does not appear to offer unmetered service.

    I have T-Mobile "all you can eat" with the VPN option (public IP and no blocked ports). The plan is called "T-Mobile Unlimited Internet VPN" if you're curious. It costs $20 per month, and I get data rates comparable to a 56K modem connected at near full speed. I go through my Sony Ericsson T610 with bluetooth for the connection.