Ahuva Zucker on August 19, 2010
| 38 comments
The executives of T-Mobile should be ashamed of themselves. They are playing on the ignorance of the American public. Well, in all honesty, Sprint and Clearwire are doing something similar, but at least they have better reasoning. Let me say it once and let’s make this clear: There is no 4G service in America yet. Americans can’t help it if they don’t know what 4G is if no one is going to be brave enough to come out against the marketing strategists who are duping the general population.
There are committees set up in the free world market who standardize what these universal terms mean. They decide which speed equates to which generation (the G in 3G and 4G) of mobile broadband access. The ITU, International Telecommunication Union, determines the quality of speed that defines the latest generation. They have set the 4G standard at having peak rates of 100 Mbps for mobile users/cell phone services. Carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile are throwing the word 4G around as if it has any value when in reality the 4G standard was only approved in mid-June, AFTER the EVO marketing campaign, and the broadband networks approved hadn’t then been put into use yet.
WiMAX and LTE are technologies that have had their latest versions approved, in terms of 4G speeds. These newer technologies haven’t been put into usage yet, though. Verizon and AT&T aren’t even up to marketing their speed capabilities yet, so we have yet to see which version they will advertise as which speed. Sprint and Clearwire, however, are still using their IEEE 802.16e (first generation WIMAX) connection standard, the version that wasn’t approved. IEEE 802.16m is considered 4G speed by the ITU and it will be implemented as soon as it’s done getting touched up for commercialization. It will be marketed as WiMAX 2 even though it’s the first 4G approved WiMAX and will get probably get automatically updated from most 802.16e enabled models to the m version, like the Sprint HTC EVO “4G”. So, at least from Sprint’s side they have produced an almost 4G standard that they will soon upgrade to legitimate 4G.
T-Mobile, on the other hand, has been blasphemous in calling their HSPA+ connection as running on “4G speeds”. No, their speeds are on 3GPP (later 3G) speeds and this is their latest version. They project peak speeds at 56 Mbps, much lower than the 100 Mbps necessary for 4G. At least when Sprint was advertising the EVO as 4G, they were well on their way of getting approval for 4G service. The 802.16m version got approved within 2 weeks after the EVO’s release and it will be integrated under the name WiMAX 2 within the year. The G2, T-Mobile’s “4G” phone, is a far call from getting any remotely 4G-like speeds. Unless the HSPA+ is also getting a major upgrade within the year, they have misled Americans in the cruelest way, taking advantage of the American public’s ignorance in technological matters.
Tagged as:
3G,
4G,
evo,
g2,
HSPA,
LTE,
T-Mobile,
Wimax
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Ahuva… why u gotta be a hater? Tell me something.. what upload download speeds is Tmo's new hspa+ running at? Why wouldn't u speak up about the new android phone itself?
I don't know..it seems as if ur axe to grind got in the way of a great.. much anticipated story!
blessings.
t.a.
What a pointless, ridiculous article.
The American Public knows Sprint's current speed as “4G speed”. HSPA+ is running at those speeds or greater.
T-Mobile is playing off of the public's perception of 4G and it's very smart. Why talk in terms the public doesn't understand?
Is this article a joke? Look at the author's name. Is he trying to spell “Are you a sucker”?
People need to investigate more on what the companies are marketing. 4G or Wimax what ever you want to call it is just a marketing scam to get the public's attention. I will have to agree with the author, we are suckers for this companies (any of them). If you are happy with the device you have stick with what works (for now) let those giant companies have a war between them. Trust me i know how these people work I use to sell this crap.
What happens when real 4G is released? Is that going to be 'just like the speeds HSPA+/T-Mobile is running on'? “Why talk in terms the public doesn't understand”? Does anyone actually WANT to buy something counterfeit? No, it's entirely up to the seller to promote the quality of the item's service honestly. Should he try to “play off the [buyer]'s perception”? That would be dishonest and unethical, just like the way T-Mobile is marketing HSPA+.
First of all, I'm female, not a “he”. Second of all, I'm Jewish. Zucker is Yiddish for sugar. Next time you want to feel intelligent, research a little bit in advance. It might save you some public humiliation.
Hey T.A.
Not hating on the phone or the service, hating on the way it's being played. For all I know the phone could be amazing, but it wouldn't make a difference to this article. T-Mobile is scamming Americans into thinking that the speeds HSPA+ provides is 4G. They're making people into fools for not knowing anything real about broadband speeds. Nothing against HSPA+ itself, I'm sure it works really well because it does have high 3G speeds, but why mess with anyone's head? And especially if those people don't know any better. I just think it's wrong.
This is battle that pre-dates T-Mobile and the 4G claims. Does anyone believe that Verizon is achieving “3G” speeds throughout what they advertise on their map as having 3G?
By comparing their HSPA+ network to likely 4G speeds they may be treading a fine line, but I see it no where near as egregious as you do.
Your hyperbolic editorial stance is not that dissimilar to be honest. You choose inflammatory language to draw attention to your opinion. Good marketing I suppose.
This is the problem with this industry. Tech ppl and marketing ppl are completely disconnected. K, it's not technoically 4G but do you think the customer actually cares? What they care about is that the video plays well, the net works and the price is right.
Now T-Mobile says they will reach average speeds of 5-7 Mbps on the network. If they can do that consistently, well then for what the customer cares it actually IS 4G because it works much better than what they regarded as 3G (that is YouTube crawling to load a video).
Do you think the American public is the only group being misled about 4G? Neither LTE nor WiMAX (as it's currently available) are 4G, but they're both being advertised as such. Almost every company around the world with an upcoming LTE network is advertising it as “4G”.
99% of users don't care whether their phone is technically “3G” or “4G”. All they care is if it's fast and if it works. The term “4G” has become completely meaningless outside of an ITU context because it's been hijacked by overeager marketers desperate to distinguish themselves. Unfortunately, the problem has spread so fast that everyone else feels forced to play catch-up. No, T-Mobile's network isn't 4G, but neither is Sprint's. Everyone deserves some of the blame.
Complete rubbish. Why isn't the title of the article T-MOBILE’S HSPA+ G2 “4G” SPEED AND SPRINT'S “4G” ARE JUST MARKET PLOYS?
I cant tell if you're purposely playing the role of the heel or not. Ahuva Zucker (I have a sucker).
One thing I learned in marketing is that it's one of the hardest battles to try and re-educate the public. Once they get an idea in their heads you had best cater to it. Imagine how long and confusing a T-Mobile commercial would be trying to explain that Sprint's service isn't REALLY 4G even though the speeds are faster than 3G and that HSPA+ is similar because it doesn't have the increased spectrum etc… etc… etc… What a pointless battle that would be.
When real 4G hits companies will re-brand it as “4G ZOOM” or “4G+” or something so consumers know it's faster than that they currently know as 4G.
Because Sprint is closer to 4G than T-Mobile is. “So, at least from Sprint’s side they have produced an almost 4G standard that they will soon upgrade to legitimate 4G.”
You're right, of course. But, there's still no justification for it. It is completely unethical even if it is the most logical thing to do.
I wasn't a writer back when Verizon started claiming all-over 3G speeds. Trust me, if I were, I would have written something about it at the time. You have the right to have your own opinion. I happen to take the unethical marketing scheme to be more offensive than you do. And there's a big difference between marketing and writing; I want to share my opinion with the world through writing and most readers know it's opinion based on fact while commercials and advertisements created by sly marketers often shape the opinion of consumers without them even needing to consciously realize it. Marketers have a much bigger responsibility to remain closer to the truth.
Oh please. It's beyond 3G what are we going to call it? 3.5G? 3.99G? I realize committees like to have all this authority but for lay people anything faster than 3G is “fourth generation.” Pluto may not technically be a “planet” anymore but most people will continue to call it one.
I realize this is a valid point being made but it's also a geeky one. To the public this looks so, “Well you know tchnically Spock will never die now.”
It's actually referred to as either 3.9G or pre-4G. I kid you not.
Who freakin' cares?!?! Providers lie already all the time about their speeds. You never get anywhere near the max they tout in their ads anyways.
It's your attack that's pointless and ridiculous. Anything “the public doesn't understand” is caused by the obfuscation of marketers, which you seem to revel in.
True, and the amazing part is that people still want to root for their “team” even when they just been screwed by it.
You're saying writers lie and you're a writer. Nice.
Blah, Blah, Blah, 4G, 3.5G, etc. Who cares? T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is freakin' blazing compared to anything else on THIS planet so either get it or get left in the dust… or move to a better planet. You're a WiMax blog so you're viewpoint is slanted as well. Bugger off.
I totally agree with you Ahuva. They are twisting the truth and hiding the reality just to make extra money. Every company is going to do it and will continue to do it. But please excuse me while I play devil's advocate when I refer to your last post. I don't know what your political standpoint is but I sense some hypocrisy here. If you want to mention intelligence, I would suggest you don't get bent about American business and then claim you are Jewish. I say this because us intelligent people know that your beloved Israel is no better than American business in respect to the underground evil masquerades. I opened a can of worms but I had to make a point since you wanted to erect “public humiliation.”
Again, I agree with you in retrospect to the initial topic so good for you for expressing yourself. I am against propaganda if it be business…politics…or anything that influences inhumanity. There is not much you can do besides educate yourself, voice your opinion, and move as far away as possible from any civilized population. Even after completing these three futile tasks, change is dubious.
Typically when an author responds to reader comments it's with a little more class and respect. Next time, please consider that and only post relevant responses.
Buddy, just because a few people don't agree with you or aren't as furious doesn't mean flaming them will help your point.
Oh and for the record, you can pick a random service provider's name out of a hat and I'm confident you will find they have lied about something…most likely, a number of things. That IS what marketing is. “This energy drink will revitalize you and enhance performance!” – aka a heart attack in a can. Get my point?
When did I say that? Not all writers are marketing something.
Dude, I get on tMobile 4.77MBps down and 1.25 up, All I care is to double my speed, call it 3.5G, 5 G, or whatever G you like.
Samsung WiMAX 2 test hits 330Mbps
Samsung demos work-in-progress technology in Japan
By Brad Reed, Network World
October 04, 2010 03:15 PM ET
Yes, it's only a demonstration. Even so, Samsung's trial of WiMAX 2 technology that touched speeds of 330Mbps is still impressive.
Samsung is holding a public demonstration of the yet-to-be-finalized WiMAX 2 standard at the CEATEC IT and electronics tradeshow in Japan this week. In teaming up with Japan's UQ Communications ISP, Samsung is wirelessly streaming full-HD 3D videos over a WiMAX 2 trial network. WiMAX 2 is an evolution of the WiMAX standard that is currently used by Clearwire and Sprint to deliver the fastest wireless data services in the United States, with typical download speeds in the 4Gbps to 5Gbps range.
What WiMAX 2 promises
The WiMAX 2 standard, formally known as 802.16m, is due be finalized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) this November. 802.16m is expected to be significantly faster than its predecessor and the WiMAX Forum industry group projects that it will be able to deliver average downlink speeds of more than 100Mbps to users.
But while 802.16m will give WiMAX a major speed boost, don't expect it to propagate any further than the current WiMAX technology that covers around 31 square miles per access point. 802.16m will also be backward compatible with 802.16e, the WiMAX standard currently used by operators in the United States. This means that when U.S. ISP Clearwire upgrades to the new standard it will be able to do so at a relatively low cost and with minimal disruption.
Clearwire is the only major U.S. carrier to operate a wireless network based on the 802.16e WiMAX standard. Clearwire wholesales access to its network out to companies that want to offer customers high-speed wireless data services but that do not own WiMAX infrastructure of their own, including Sprint, Comcast and Time-Warner Cable. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are all planning to commercially launch LTE services at some point over the next two years.
Both WiMAX and LTE are hitting the market during a time when Cisco projects that mobile Internet traffic will double every year between now and 2013, when it will total an average of 2.2 million terabytes per month. Cisco predicts that the biggest driver for the traffic increase will come from video, which will account for roughly 64% of all mobile data traffic in 2013. In 2008, video traffic averaged around 13,000 TB per month, or roughly 39% of all mobile traffic. By 2013, video traffic will increase by more than 100 times and will average around 1.3 million TB per month, Cisco projects.
Samsung WiMAX 2 test hits 330Mbps
Samsung demos work-in-progress technology in Japan
By Brad Reed, Network World
October 04, 2010 03:15 PM ET
Yes, it's only a demonstration. Even so, Samsung's trial of WiMAX 2 technology that touched speeds of 330Mbps is still impressive.
Samsung is holding a public demonstration of the yet-to-be-finalized WiMAX 2 standard at the CEATEC IT and electronics tradeshow in Japan this week. In teaming up with Japan's UQ Communications ISP, Samsung is wirelessly streaming full-HD 3D videos over a WiMAX 2 trial network. WiMAX 2 is an evolution of the WiMAX standard that is currently used by Clearwire and Sprint to deliver the fastest wireless data services in the United States, with typical download speeds in the 4Gbps to 5Gbps range.
What WiMAX 2 promises
The WiMAX 2 standard, formally known as 802.16m, is due be finalized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) this November. 802.16m is expected to be significantly faster than its predecessor and the WiMAX Forum industry group projects that it will be able to deliver average downlink speeds of more than 100Mbps to users.
But while 802.16m will give WiMAX a major speed boost, don't expect it to propagate any further than the current WiMAX technology that covers around 31 square miles per access point. 802.16m will also be backward compatible with 802.16e, the WiMAX standard currently used by operators in the United States. This means that when U.S. ISP Clearwire upgrades to the new standard it will be able to do so at a relatively low cost and with minimal disruption.
Clearwire is the only major U.S. carrier to operate a wireless network based on the 802.16e WiMAX standard. Clearwire wholesales access to its network out to companies that want to offer customers high-speed wireless data services but that do not own WiMAX infrastructure of their own, including Sprint, Comcast and Time-Warner Cable. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are all planning to commercially launch LTE services at some point over the next two years.
Both WiMAX and LTE are hitting the market during a time when Cisco projects that mobile Internet traffic will double every year between now and 2013, when it will total an average of 2.2 million terabytes per month. Cisco predicts that the biggest driver for the traffic increase will come from video, which will account for roughly 64% of all mobile data traffic in 2013. In 2008, video traffic averaged around 13,000 TB per month, or roughly 39% of all mobile traffic. By 2013, video traffic will increase by more than 100 times and will average around 1.3 million TB per month, Cisco projects.
I have T-Mobile and the HTC MyTouch 4G and the phone says all bars at 4G (symbolized by H) speed and my Galaxy Tab 3G on Verizon kicks its ass. HSPA+ is not consistent throughout T-Mobile’s reach. It is Ethernet based which means the speed you get with HSPA+ depends on the access point you are currently connected to. This is not run by cell towers like 3G or Edge. Because HSPA+ is Ethernet is the ONLY reason they can make such claims as being the “largest” 4G network. 4G simply means 4th generation and nothing more to T-Mobile. The HTC MyTouch phone has a horrible time negotiating between HSPA+/3G/Edge if one fails often leaving you holding a brick. HSPA+ does not penetrate walls either and even turning your back will kill the connection. In fact, none of T-Mobile’s data technologies do very well in this regard and is the reason you have a horrible time connecting when in shopping malls, schools or your own home. Verizon’s 3G does not have these same issues. I’ve been with T-Mobile for many years and I’m still with them today. Not because of their speed or because their data connection is great. It’s because I have their ass covered with my Verizon devices. I have T-Mobile for when Verizon fails and I have Verizon when T-Mobile fails. I need to stay connected because being connected is what I do and there are people relying on me. But I will say that Verizon gives me a “consitent” connection 95%+ of the time where T-Mobile is maybe 70% and it’s always poor at best. When you have a good HSPA+ connection it’s FAST, but that doesn’t happen very often. I’ll sit there with my Jailbroke iPhone on T-Mobile using Edge and the MyTouch and iPhone will reach the site at about the same time. Go head-to-head with the 3G Verizon and Verizon will always win. At least this has been my experience where I am located. Next week I’ll be traveling to LA so we’ll see how the two compare there. My guess is that T-Mobile will be the runner up again.
Ah, when will silly customers learn. As an employee of one of the many leading cellular providers (which shall remain nameless) As others have said whats the point in trying to change perspective. if sprint says its got 4g, how is tmobile, verizon, att. ect supposed to say oh. its faster. its more reliable, its called 3gpp… point being ITS ALL ABOUT A RIGHT FIT! Tmobile, According to Tops data speed tests. Tmobile Has the fastest and most widespread 4g (3gpp for you whiners). but that doesnt mean tmobile is the best for everyone. while its got the most widespread. it may not be in your area. verizon might be your place. to be honest. only about 15% of users really use data with the need to perform at these kind of speeds. My best suggestion. SHOP AROUND. Look for a good price. look for good coverage not just in your home. but anywhere you may go. make sure you get what you need.
Here is what i think, 4G Is the faster network than the 3G. Just because 4G is standardized as 100Mbps doesn’t mean that anyone is going to be anywhere near that anytime soon. As far as i’m concerned, I don’t know of any services provided to Non-commercial households that can do 100Mbps or AKA 10 Megabytes p/s…Fios is only rated at 50Mbps, and that’s Theoretical, and that’s a WIRED Connection!!! I think that since 3G is rated at 1.5Mbps theoretical, I think its safe to say that the 4G at 50Mbps is truly a new generation of speed.
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