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Cell Phone Service as High Speed Internet Link?

Posted by Cliff on from the cell-band-over-broadband dept.

Gorm the DBA asks: "I live out in the boonies, where Cable is just another word for what the telegraph guy delivers and the nearest Central Office is over 27,000 feet away, so DSL is at best a (fat) Pipe Dream, and dialup speeds top out at 17,700baud on a good day. Currently we have satellite internet via DirecWay, but it's expensive ($60/month) and VPNlike applications are not supported, never mind gaming (high latency), which reduces it's utility dramatically. At the same time, I've been looking at getting a new cell phone. I see that Sprint, Cingular, and others all have cards that you can plug into your computer and use the cellular network to get data. The claim is 'wireless online surfing as fast as DSL'. I've confirmed I'm in the coverage areas, but is this really as good as they're making it sound? It's pricey ($79.99/month, plus the cost of the card), but it would be portable as well. Does anybody have experience with this sort of technology? Is it ready for prime time? Does it really work? Is it worth it? Is the internet access real, or a filtered 'You get what we want you to get' sort of thing?"

3 of 461 comments (clear)

  1. Rule of thumb: Wired Wireless by coupland · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've had to explain this to angry executives who couldn't dial in from the cottage/ski hill/resort so many times, I sound like a broken record. If you're in an area where the wired signal is awful, you can basically rest assured the wireless signal quality will be much worse. Wireless is by nature a less reliable medium, because it's passing through air and trees and walls -- as opposed to copper. If you're located somewhere so far from civilization that the wired infrastructure can't handle basic data, then neither will wireless. Don't believe the sales people. :\

    Possible exception: your dad's the farmer who gave up part of his field for a cel phone tower. But even then don't bet on it.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Re:T-Mobile Internet Unlimited by Xystance · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, it really is unlimited. I have used it for about 8 months, and while the latency is bad (400 - 800ms or so), i can download from say, a fast ftp server at about 9kbps. Web browsing isn't too bad, just turn off the graphics and it's very quick. I can even play Command & Conquer: Generals on it with 600ms ping times. :) Really though, it truly is $19.99 for unlimited.