AT&T 3G is faster
May 14th 2008
ComputerWorld has tested and compared the three major 3G networks in the US--AT&T, Sprint and Verizon--and found Apple's wireless partner to be the best of the lot.
All the cellular data networks are reasonably fast (although AT&T pretty much swept the field). In the course of my tests, I was able to click, connect and get online, on average, in about 4 seconds; download data at 614Kbit/sec.; and upload at 337Kbit/sec. That's more than enough for most basic on-the-road business applications such as e-mail, connecting to most Web sites and even watching online movies.
As is the case with phone calls, ComputerWorld found that quality of service can vary dramatically very quickly with data speeds going from a respectable 1.1Mbps to just 20Kbps in the space of a few seconds.
Source: ComputerWorld
Wireless internet is going to be huge and even in its nascent state will be a boon for some. However, patchy network coverage, quality of service issues and power-hungry chipsets will limit 3G's practical appeal.
For the time being, Apple + AT&T stand head and shoulders above the competition. Moreover, with the iPhone leading the charge, it wouldn't surprise me to see 3G get built out faster, wider and deeper than anything to date...
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