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ATT Wireless High Speed Internet

You've probably noticed the advertising war that's constantly going on between Verizon and AT&T regarding wireless Internet coverage. In this review of AT&T's wireless high speed Internet service, we'll just stick to the facts. As of Dec 2009, AT&T actually does have the largest “total” wireless Internet coverage in the U.S., with just over 300 million Americans covered. However, only about 75% of that number will be able to access the newer, faster AT&T 3G network. The remaining 25% can still get wireless Internet service, but it will be through the older, slower AT&T EDGE network.

 

The ATT 3G Network - “BroadbandConnect”

ATT 3G Network“BroadbandConnect” is the official name of AT&T's 3G network. It currently covers over 230 million Americans and is available in most major U.S. cities. The company spent over $20 billion on upgrades to it's network from 2005 to 2008, and numerous third-party tests confirm that the ATT 3G network does indeed perform faster (on average) than their 3G rivals -- Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Don't let the map fool you. Although Verizon and Sprint both have larger 3G coverage areas than AT&T, a lot of that area is rural. AT&T's BroadbandConnect coverage includes most metropolitan areas where the bulk of wireless Internet subscribers live. And, of course, the overall area that AT&T's wireless network covers (3G and EDGE combined) is larger than either Sprint or Verizon, reaching about 97% of the U.S. population.

Major benefits of choosing AT&T wireless Internet include:

  • iPhone Support - AT&T's 3G network is the only one supporting the 3G iPhone.
  • Blackberry Plans - High speed wireless data and voice for your 3G Blackberry.
  • Fastest 3G Speeds - Up to 1.7 Mbps downstream with more upgrades in the works.
  • Fast Uploads - Very good tests of upstream speeds -- up to 1.2 Mbps.
  • Multi-Tasking - Search, send, download, etc. -- all while you are on a call.
  • Laptops / Netbooks - Wireless network cards for access on a laptop or netbook.
  • Roll Over Minutes - Unused minutes accumulate from month to month.

AT&T uses HSPA (high speed packet access) as the basis for it's wireless Internet service, and this wireless Internet technology has room for even more speed. Early in 2009, AT&T introduced HSPA 7.2 in several markets. This upgrade to their 3G wireless network allows for theoretical downstream speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps. With such improvements in speed, the AT&T 3G network remains (on average) the fastest 3G wireless Internet service you can get in the U.S. -- at least until the new 4G LTE networks are developed.

For those of you in the areas where AT&T's 3G network is unavailable, you can still get wireless Internet service through their EDGE network. The connection speeds will be much slower, ranging from 75 Kbps to 135 Kbps in most cases.

AT&T expects to have their new ATT 4G network ready in select markets no earlier than 2011, although it will probably be even longer before it's available nationwide. LTE is a very fast new wireless Internet technology with speeds that should blow away all of the current 3G networks. For now, AT&T remains a few steps ahead of it's competition when it comes to providing high speed 3G wireless Internet, but it looks like they are going to be just a little bit behind Verizon in rolling out a new 4G LTE network.

 

We compare AT&T's wireless Internet service with other Wireless Internet Providers in the United States, including both Verizon 3G and Sprint's 3G/4G plan.