T-Mobile adds 2.5 million new customers in Q1 2014

HawaiiD

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HPSA+ is technically not 4G. That was my point. It is advanced 3G. I didn't day it wasn't faster than 3G. Again speeds as dpham00 printed out can vary depending on a variety of reasons. When I had Sprint, I was in an area that was "4G" and my speeds were 2mps max, while friends of mine on AT&T and Verizon had faster speeds run on 3G.

There are so many variants to speed. Time of day, traffic, tower locations (or signal stength) that can affect speeds.

But no, HSPA+ is not true 4G, it's called that, but look it up, AT&T pays out a large every year just to keep calling it that. It's a marketing thing, just like disgust before in this thread. I mean Verizon pays out fines over the LTE maps because to keep them up as advertising, because they don't update them everytime one of the other carriers updates their LTE maps. Even WiMax was not "true" 4G. When 4G first came out it was advertised that way by all the companies, but it was more a just an amp'd up 3G. Faster yes, but not true 4G.

Accused Samsung and Verizon fanboy from my Verizon Galaxy S5

That's what I am trying to say. 4G is just a marketing pitch. Even current
State of LTE is not considered true 4G but a stopgap or pre 4th generation . I was trying to convey, that if HSPA+ isn''t considered 4G? Then why is LTE considered 4G.The next generation LTE Advanced and Wimax 2 are going to follow the standards laid out by the International mobile telecommunications advanced
To be considered this so called 4G.

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fofjjsr

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That's what I am trying to say. 4G is just a marketing pitch. Even current
State of LTE is not considered true 4G but a stopgap or pre 4th generation . I was trying to convey, that if HSPA+ isn''t considered 4G? Then why is LTE considered 4G.The next generation LTE Advanced and Wimax 2 are going to follow the standards laid out by the International mobile telecommunications advanced
To be considered this so called 4G.

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I never said LTE was "true 4G", it is still just another advancement of the 3G networks (including HSPA+) that were marketed as 4G before LTE started rolling out. But it is just that. It is an advancement over HSPA+, WiMax, and the other original marketed 4G networks.

Although marketed as a 4G wireless service, LTE (as specified in the 3GPP Release 8 and 9 document series) does not satisfy the technical requirements the 3GPP consortium has adopted for its new standard generation, and which were originally set forth by the ITU-R organization in its IMT-Advanced specification. However, due to marketing pressures and the significant advancements that WIMAX, HSPA+ and LTE bring to the original 3G technologies, ITU later decided that LTE together with the aforementioned technologies can be called 4G technologies.[7] The LTE Advanced standard formally satisfies the ITU-R requirements to be considered IMT-Advanced. And to differentiate LTE Advanced and WiMAX-Advanced from current 4G technologies, ITU has defined them as "True 4G".

I mean if HSPA+ was faster than LTE, why is AT&T and the other GSM carriers rolling out LTE and Sprint dropping WiMax for LTE? Because it is another advancement in the 3G networks (that is again, called 4g), I am not trying to get into an argument about speeds, because again so many variables can come into play there, but LTE is the best data network available right now, and soon to advance to VoLTE, which should be interesting, because the biggest obstacle from what I have read is how they are going to handle the minutes, because it will all be over data at that point. I mean minutes and text have pretty much become standard unlimited. There is even LTE Advanced, however that is not in the U.S. that was being tested for instance by Samsung, who even launched an Galaxy S4 LTE Advanced phone in Korea. Samsung has even been rumored to be tested and 5G network (no idea how that works considering a real 4G network hasn't even really been established yet lol).
 

dkhmwilliams

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That's what I am trying to say. 4G is just a marketing pitch. Even current
State of LTE is not considered true 4G but a stopgap or pre 4th generation . I was trying to convey, that if HSPA+ isn''t considered 4G? Then why is LTE considered 4G.The next generation LTE Advanced and Wimax 2 are going to follow the standards laid out by the International mobile telecommunications advanced
To be considered this so called 4G.

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I don't care what others call it. I call it fast! I get awesome speeds from T-Mobile just about everywhere I go. And it's unlimited. Coverage doesn't matter too much to me because I don't travel often. In the suburbs of Chicago, their coverage, speeds, and service are phenomenal.

Sent from the Samsung Galaxy Note 3...yeah, it's spectacular.
 

Almeuit

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HPSA+ is technically not 4G. That was my point. It is advanced 3G. I didn't day it wasn't faster than 3G. Again speeds as dpham00 printed out can vary depending on a variety of reasons. When I had Sprint, I was in an area that was "4G" and my speeds were 2mps max, while friends of mine on AT&T and Verizon had faster speeds run on 3G.

There are so many variants to speed. Time of day, traffic, tower locations (or signal stength) that can affect speeds.

But no, HSPA+ is not true 4G, it's called that, but look it up, AT&T pays out a large every year just to keep calling it that. It's a marketing thing, just like disgust before in this thread. I mean Verizon pays out fines over the LTE maps because to keep them up as advertising, because they don't update them everytime one of the other carriers updates their LTE maps. Even WiMax was not "true" 4G. When 4G first came out it was advertised that way by all the companies, but it was more a just an amp'd up 3G. Faster yes, but not true 4G.

Accused Samsung and Verizon fanboy from my Verizon Galaxy S5

You sure? I could of swore the government said HSPA is 4g Hence why AT&T and T-Moblie can call it that.

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fofjjsr

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You sure? I could of swore the government said HSPA is 4g Hence why AT&T and T-Moblie can call it that.

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HSPA+, or Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, is a technical standard for wireless, broadband telecommunication. HSPA+ enhances the widely used WCDMA (UMTS) based 3G networks with higher speeds for the end user that are comparable to the newer LTE networks. HSPA+ was first defined in the technical standard 3GPP release 7 and expanded further in later releases.

In the United States, it is commonly available under AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile US.


The technology also delivers significant battery life improvements and dramatically quicker wake-from-idle time – delivering a true always-on connection. HSPA+ should not be confused with LTE, which uses a new air interface based on OFDMA technology. HSPA+ is an evolution of HSPA that upgrades the existing 3G network and provides a method for telecom operators to migrate towards 4G speeds without deploying a new radio interface.

The ITU or International Telecommunications Union stated after a December 6th meeting that “It is recognized that [4G], while undefined, may also be applied to the forerunners of these technologies, LTE and WiMax, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed.

So yes they are allowed to call it that. But again, it is still just an advanced 3G network.

T-Mobile will likely further step up the argument that it offers 4G performance as well as press the attack against AT&T and Sprint. We’ve seen T-Mobile define “4G” using their own methodology but their argument was predicated on the earlier ITU decision that Wimax and LTE were not 4G networks. This could very well be a huge pickup for the T-Mobile marketing campaign. Now they can fight the battle where it really needs to be fought, on the speed front, an area where T-Mobile is definitely ready to continue to fight. This will be one to watch.

HSPA+ or Evolved High Speed Packet Access, is a souped-up version of HSUPA and HSDPA 3G standards with speeds comparable to the newer LTE networks. Theoretical speeds are said to feature download speeds up to 168Mbps and uplink of 22Mbps. These are of course theoretical speeds, with the actual speed available to users being much lower. While most HSPA+ networks around the world boast a theoretical 21Mbps(download) speed, T-Mobile(USA) and Deutsche Telekom(Germany) feature 42Mbps networks. A hotly debated issue is the 4G tag offered by cellular network companies to advertise their HSPA+ networks(T-mobile and AT&T), while most accept that it should be considered, at most, a 3.75G network.

On the other hand, LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is considered a “true” 4G network. Theoretical speeds boast downlink speeds of 300Mbps and uploads of 75Mbps. LTE, which is an IP-based system, is a complete redesign and simplication of 3G network architecture resulting in a marked reduction in transfer latency. Because of this, LTE is not compatible with 2G and 3G networks and thus, functions on an entirely different wireless spectrum. Unfortunately, this means that erecting an LTE network requires it to be built from the ground up. This is one of the main factors behind the delayed launch of complete 4G LTE networks.

The reason you see T-Mobile and AT&T converting to LTE (all be it at a much slower rate) is because LTE is more widely considered a "true 4G" network (even though it still is just an even more amp'd up 3G network, just requiring to be built from the ground up), and the top end speeds and better penetration. While in some areas HSPA+ has top out at higher speeds than LTE, most companies (including Verizon) have not use the bandwidth capacities it is capable of. Altough, Verizon feeling the pressure from the speed comparisons of AT&T and T-Mobile, has begun to change there LTE Network. They are rolling it out slowly and quietly however.

Verizon dramatically increases LTE network capacity in major cities | Android Central
Watch out AT&T: Verizon?€™s new LTE network monster stirs in NYC ?€” Tech News and Analysis

Some of those articles are older, but Verizon has felt the most pressure in the major cities, so you will see the speed increases slowly roll out there first from what I have read. Although the speed increases are more about increasing capacity than anything, because of the capacity restrictions on the LTE network. Hope this kinda clears up what I am trying to get at. I am not trying to say something isn't "faster" than the original 3G, because HSPA+ definitely is. I am just trying to show there is a reason all the major carriers are converting to LTE.

Edit: AT&T no longer pays that fine, because as stated above, HSPA+ was recognized as being able to be called 4G on December 6.
 
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dpham00

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I never said LTE was "true 4G", it is still just another advancement of the 3G networks (including HSPA+) that were marketed as 4G before LTE started rolling out. But it is just that. It is an advancement over HSPA+, WiMax, and the other original marketed 4G networks.

Although marketed as a 4G wireless service, LTE (as specified in the 3GPP Release 8 and 9 document series) does not satisfy the technical requirements the 3GPP consortium has adopted for its new standard generation, and which were originally set forth by the ITU-R organization in its IMT-Advanced specification. However, due to marketing pressures and the significant advancements that WIMAX, HSPA+ and LTE bring to the original 3G technologies, ITU later decided that LTE together with the aforementioned technologies can be called 4G technologies.[7] The LTE Advanced standard formally satisfies the ITU-R requirements to be considered IMT-Advanced. And to differentiate LTE Advanced and WiMAX-Advanced from current 4G technologies, ITU has defined them as "True 4G".

I mean if HSPA+ was faster than LTE, why is AT&T and the other GSM carriers rolling out LTE and Sprint dropping WiMax for LTE? Because it is another advancement in the 3G networks (that is again, called 4g), I am not trying to get into an argument about speeds, because again so many variables can come into play there, but LTE is the best data network available right now, and soon to advance to VoLTE, which should be interesting, because the biggest obstacle from what I have read is how they are going to handle the minutes, because it will all be over data at that point. I mean minutes and text have pretty much become standard unlimited. There is even LTE Advanced, however that is not in the U.S. that was being tested for instance by Samsung, who even launched an Galaxy S4 LTE Advanced phone in Korea. Samsung has even been rumored to be tested and 5G network (no idea how that works considering a real 4G network hasn't even really been established yet lol).

The AT&T S5 is lte-a with carrier aggregation. However, would you rather have lte-a with carrier aggregation 5mhz b4 +5mhz b17 or no carrier aggregation, just straight 20x20mhz? Even though it isn't lte-a, 20x20mhz aws has a lot more capacity and speed.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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fofjjsr

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The AT&T S5 is lte-a with carrier aggregation. However, would you rather have lte-a with carrier aggregation 5mhz b4 +5mhz b17 or no carrier aggregation, just straight 20x20mhz? Even though it isn't lte-a, 20x20mhz aws has a lot more capacity and speed.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Not arguing the speed increases, I am only trying to point out the differences between HSPA+, WiMax and LTE, all claiming to be 4G in some capacity, but are still not widely considered "true 4G". See my post just before yours, I give the information I was trying to get at. :)
 

dpham00

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Yeah technology doesn't necessarily equal speed. But lte is more technologically advanced than hspa+

With regards to Verizon, that link was referencing the aws deployment, and it gives me very nice speeds at work, considering the heavy load here.

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HawaiiD

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I never said LTE was "true 4G", it is still just another advancement of the 3G networks (including HSPA+) that were marketed as 4G before LTE started rolling out. But it is just that. It is an advancement over HSPA+, WiMax, and the other original marketed 4G networks.

However, due to marketing pressures and the significant advancements that WIMAX, HSPA+ and LTE bring to the original 3G technologies, ITU later decided that LTE together with the aforementioned technologies can be called 4G technologies.

LTE, HSPA+, Wimax can be called 4G.
I am not trying to create a argument here.
My opinion is that if your going to hold a standard
For HSPA+ then it should apply for LTE. In the standards
Set forth of what 4G is by the ITU both technologies currenty
Doesn't satisfy the criteria. However, both LTE and Hspa+
Is an advancement of the older so called 3G technology.

I mean if HSPA+ was faster than LTE, why is AT&T and the other GSM carriers rolling out LTE and Sprint dropping WiMax for LTE? Because it is another advancement in the 3G networks (that is again, called 4g), I am not trying to get into an argument about speeds, because again so many variables can come into play there, but LTE is the best data network available right now, and soon to advance to VoLTE, which should be interesting, because the biggest obstacle from what I have read is how they are going to handle the minutes, because it will all be over data at that point. I mean minutes and text have pretty much become standard unlimited. There is even LTE Advanced, however that is not in the U.S. that was being tested for instance by Samsung, who even launched an Galaxy S4 LTE Advanced phone in Korea. Samsung has even been rumored to be tested and 5G network (no idea how that works considering a real 4G network hasn't even really been established yet lol).

Reality side to it for me is that as long as it fast and reliable?
They can call it 5,6,7G? As long as I have unlimited data and it affordable I'm all good



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dpham00

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Unlimited data and affordable but very slow is pointless to me. Unlimited data with good speeds is fine. Doesn't have to be the fastest as long as it is truly unlimited in every regard (including hotspot and tablet)

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HawaiiD

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Unlimited data and affordable but very slow is pointless to me. Unlimited data with good speeds is fine. Doesn't have to be the fastest as long as it is truly unlimited in every regard (including hotspot and tablet)

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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Fast data speeds with capped data plans is a travesty

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HawaiiD

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Supposedly volte should be available by end of month. Even now, voice can be used simultaneously with LTE data, just not volte.

For me 4g is any speed substantially faster than 3g.

Keep in mind dc- hspa+ can hit 42mbps,whereas 5x5 700MHz lte such as what Tmobile bought from Verizon maxes at 37.5mbps.

As for real speeds it varies depending on so many variables. You will find fast 4GLTE speed tests and slow 4GLTE speed tests. Same with hspa+ or any other technology.


This is near a few large shopping centers and large movie theater. I can get higher speeds at non peak times on Verizon


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/06/u8ydegem.jpg

This is at my work on 4GLTE , which is among multiple high rises. I do not have 20x20mhz here either. My co-worker has tmobile and their 4g(per the indicator) at this spot is slow, probably around 2mbps or less.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/06/ynu8ujyj.jpg

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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Nice speeds. If you plan on a vacation to Hawaii don't expect that type of speeds.
Heck this is sad but true. My coworker who has Verizon actually forces 3G cdma to watch Netflix because he says his lte keeps dropping out.

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dpham00

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Fast data speeds with capped data plans is a travesty

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If data is so slow that it is not really usable, then unlimited doesn't mean much m

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dpham00

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Nice speeds. If you plan on a vacation to Hawaii don't expect that type of speeds.
Heck this is sad but true. My coworker who has Verizon actually forces 3G cdma to watch Netflix because he says his lte keeps dropping out.

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Has Verizon deployed aws there? If so, is he using an aws capable phone?

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yfan

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Unlimited data and affordable but very slow is pointless to me. Unlimited data with good speeds is fine. Doesn't have to be the fastest as long as it is truly unlimited in every regard (including hotspot and tablet)
Well, actually, all the big players offer unlimited service like the one you mention. They just also have unlimited payments. The trouble comes when we want unlimited data for a limited amount we're willing to pay.


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dpham00

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Well, actually, all the big players offer unlimited service like the one you mention. They just also have unlimited payments. The trouble comes when we want unlimited data for a limited amount we're willing to pay.


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Afaik, no carrier other than Verizon offers unlimited hotspot other than Verizon legacy.

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Almeuit

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Afaik, no carrier other than Verizon offers unlimited hotspot other than Verizon legacy.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
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You're correct.

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Almeuit

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My point exactly. No such thing as free lunch. Except apparently certain grandfathered plans.

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Oh it isn't free.. He has to pay 30 dollars extra for the unlimited hotspot.

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