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AT&T to limit iPhone 3G speeds to 1.4 Mbps?

by Cory Bohon Jun 16th 2008 at 5:00PM


MacNN noted in a recent post that AT&T is listing the iPhone as having a 1.4 Mbps connection (down-stream) while other 3G phones such as the Motorola Q have upwards of 3.6 Mbps connections. If you are thinking that this is a typo on AT&T's website, think again, because it was also mentioned in their press release about the iPhone (PDF link).

The mobile phones, of course, have a slower connection compared to the 3G cards that AT&T offers. Some of the 3G cards can connect as fast as 7.2 Mbps down. So while Apple is touting their "3G speeds approaching WiFi speeds" you have to wonder why is AT&T limiting the bandwidth on the iPhone 3G so much.

Update: MacNN updated their post shortly after this posting. MacNN's sources are saying that the 1.4 Mbps speed is "observed" speed over the network.

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MacNN noted in a recent post that AT&T is listing the iPhone as having a 1.4 Mbps connection (down-stream) while other 3G phones such...
 

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http:www.freeiphone4u.co.uk

I wonder if this will happen in the UK? O2 were pretty good with their unlimited internet use but I would be gutted if my free iphone from http://www.freeiphone4u.co.uk was limited in the speed I could download with. Just makes you wonder how long it wil be before people get tired with this downsides to the iPhone

July 07 2008 at 3:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike

AT&T has to limit the speed, as even on "full-speed" cells where you could achieve a theoretical 7.2Mbps, this is actually shared between ALL users on that cell. Thus, you only get a piece of the pie. By limiting to 1.4, they are making sure at least a few users will actually get 1.4 before the whole thing starts degrading. There are also chipset issues involved, but I seriously doubt Apple has used a first or second-gen 3G chipset.

June 17 2008 at 5:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
loveyourheadshots com

That's cool as long as they charge 1/2 of their data service price. Wait a minute...

June 17 2008 at 1:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
lane

Boy these new 3G iPhone keep getting better and better, PASS!!!

I'll keep my Centro over the iPhone, and I HAVE a 1st Gen, the Cntro does far more, MMS, A2DP, MPEG movies, music, IM etc. I went to iPhone then back to Centro The Treos suck but the centro is great!!!

But this 3G version seems to keep getting more and more crippled that the 1st gem, just keeps getting features knocked off. I dunno...not for me, and they are NOT cheaper!!! mayne the device itelf, but if you do math over the long term, you are paying more, period. Anyone want to buy a jailbroken 1.1.4 excellent shape 8GB? Make offer to lanejasper69@msn.com

Faslane Out

June 17 2008 at 1:07 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to lane's comment
iPhone Boy

I guess they will reel us in with promises of getting the 3g iPhone for just £100 and we wont realise the shortcomings until it is just too late.

Dial up internet for the win :)

http://www.simplyfreeiphone.co.uk

June 17 2008 at 3:15 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
lanejasper69

Sorry for all the typos, lol. Can you count them? Let's see, 1,2,3. oh forget it. NM

Faslane

June 17 2008 at 10:46 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jayden

AT&T can eat shit

June 17 2008 at 12:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
alansky

"It's simply a matter of balancing battery life with performance speeds, 'tis all." --David Chartier

It that's the case, why not let the user decide whether to go for speed or battery life? What AT&T has chosen to do (if this story is true) is restricting, not balancing, in my book.

June 16 2008 at 8:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to alansky's comment
Chris

The theoretical HW limits of the chips used in each phone are not what they are balancing. It has nothing to do with the user choosing the speed they want. What an asinine premise!

They are balancing the available bandwidth at each tower location, hence you'll get a different speeds at certain times of the day and different speeds in different locations, including how far you away from a particular tower or the interference in a particular direction within a set distance from a particular tower.


June 17 2008 at 12:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dothebloodydishes

this country...tsk tsk
this bloody country, everything is so slow
they release a product with limited performance than think it's ok as long as it's mentioned in the fine print. I feel like I am constantly being scammed.
although I did learn what "patience" truly means while being here lol

June 16 2008 at 7:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tendo

you don't have to wonder at all. if they let it go as fast as possible your battery would die after 45 minutes of usage.

June 16 2008 at 7:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Camperton

How is this a problem? My adsl connection at home isn't much faster than that.

June 16 2008 at 7:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John C

I hope that AT&T is going to invest a significant amount of their proceeds towards improving their infrastructure. They do not have the best network in America and they are the weak link in this iphone partnership. If they do, then the future will be truly awesome.

June 16 2008 at 6:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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