AT&T Speeds up and Expands 3G Network

By Nick Mokey February 6, 2008

AT&T Speeds up and Expands 3G Network

While AT&T’s home broadband customers may still be cringing from Monday’s rate hike, the company’s mobile broadband customers are experiencing the other side of the coin: a surprise expansion in service with no additional cost. AT&T announced on Wednesday that it would grow its 3G network by 80 more cities in 2008, and upgrade all of its towers for even faster speeds.

In total, AT&T’s 3G network will span 350 cities when expansion finishes, which will include all of the top 100 markets in the U.S. The network will also employ HSUPA technology, pushing download speeds between 600 and 1,400 Kbps, and upload speeds between 500 to 800 Kbps. When the transition to HSUPA is complete, AT&T will be the only U.S. carrier to have totally transitioned to HSPA standards.

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“Fast wireless broadband is the foundation for a whole range of new and emerging applications that our customers are adopting, including everything from social networking to sending live video and large business files,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO for AT&T’s wireless unit, in a statement. “With these aggressive initiatives, we’re expanding the scope and the speed of our 3G capabilities, connecting people with their world and enabling more customers to do more with their wireless devices, wherever they may be.”

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Mobile

T-Mobile delays shutdown of Sprint 3G CDMA network

Folks using Sprint’s legacy 3G CDMA network may have just won a slight reprieve, with a new report revealing that T-Mobile has pushed back the date of its shutdown by another two months. T-Mobile, which merged with Sprint in 2020, had planned to decommission the aging 3G network on March 31, 2022. However, The T-Mo Report has discovered that the carrier has quietly extended the deadline to May 31, 2022, instead.

The change initially came to light via a post on Reddit, where someone noticed the new date on the website of Softbank, which previously owned Sprint. Although T-Mobile hasn’t made a public announcement, The T-Mo Report confirmed that several Sprint customers with older phones received an email directly from the carrier. Those with phones that can’t use LTE were told that they now have until May 31, 2022, before the Sprint CDMA network shuts down. However, even this date may not be final. A footnote on the Softbank page adds that “there is a possibility that the date of May 31 will be rescheduled in [the] future.”
Sunsetting legacy 3G services
T-Mobile initially wanted to shut down the Sprint 3G network on January 1, 2022, but delayed it to March 31, when its partner, Dish, raised concerns that it didn’t have enough time to migrate its legacy customers over to the Boost Mobile network. When Sprint merged with T-Mobile in 2020, it was required to divest itself of its prepaid services, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile, which were sold off to Dish to ensure the industry remained competitive. Regulators hoped that Dish could rise from the ashes of Sprint to take over the vacated fourth-place spot on the top carriers list.

Mobile

The 3G shutdown could affect the most vulnerable of us

5G radio tower.

The looming shutdown of 3G networks could leave older adults without a critical communications lifeline.

All 3G devices will lose service by the end of the year due to a planned transition to newer technologies. Verizon said it would finish shutting down its 3G network by December 31. T-Mobile aims to shut down its 3G by March 31, and AT&T said it would shut down its network last month. Experts say that the 3G shutoff could mean seniors will suffer.

Mobile

T-Mobile’s 5G leads the pack in Ookla’s latest speed report

ookla speedtest

Ookla has just released its fourth-quarter market report, revealing the fastest 5G and broadband providers in the U.S., and once again, it looks like T-Mobile has taken the crown for the fastest and most consistent 5G speeds in the U.S.

The wireless carrier isn’t sitting still, however, as Ookla’s latest report shows a significant increase in its Speed Score from its last report for Q3 2021, gaining 20 points overall to bring its Q4 2021 score up to 201.10, from 178.38 last quarter.