T-Mobile's "4G" (HSPA+) Network Now in 75 Areas With Two New Devices

With 75 new areas now have access to T-Mobile's HSPA+ service, you want a "4G" with the device for use with network facilities. T-Mobile myTouch 4G and Dell Inspiron Mini 10 4G netbook are available from today, but you'd have to be pretty crazy to pass up the G2.

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Nov. 2, 2010 - T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the expansion of its 4G mobile broadband network to six additional metro areas, and introduced two new products designed to tap into its 4G service. Tomorrow marks the national retail availability of the
T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G and T-Mobile's first 4G netbook, the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G. With typical download speeds that are on par with or faster than competing 4G technologies, and service availability in 75 metropolitan markets throughout the United States, the T-Mobile network now offers a super-fast, next generation mobile broadband experience to more people than any other wireless network in the country.

"4G is about performance and today T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is delivering 4G speeds that match and often beat WiMAX and are readily comparable to what early LTE will deliver. Our 4G network is capable of theoretical speeds up to 21Mbps and we have seen average download speeds approaching 5 Mbps on our myTouch 4G phone in some cities with peak speeds of nearly 12 Mbps. Further, independent reviewers have seen average download speeds on our webConnect Rocket between 5 and 8 Mbps with peak speeds up to 8-10Mbps," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer, T-Mobile USA. "The footprint of our 4G service is not something that competitors are going to match anytime soon, and starting today, we will begin marketing our network advantage with TV commercials advertising ‘America's Largest 4G Network' from T-Mobile."
The "America's Largest 4G Network" message will be communicated in an iconic, arresting and memorable way through national TV and digital advertisements that will begin airing today on major TV networks and cable TV stations, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and TNT, and appearing on websites, including AOL, MSN, Amazon.com and easily viewable on T-Mobile's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/tmobile.
T-Mobile expanded the availability of its 4G network to six additional metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Ill.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; and Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, N.C. T-Mobile customers with 4G devices in 75 metropolitan areas can now enjoy faster Web browsing, uninterrupted video streaming and quicker downloads at no additional cost.
"Consumers do not understand the technical alphabet soup of technologies involved in 4G, but for our purposes we define WiMAX, LTE and HSPA+ as 4G technologies," said Chris Nicoll, distinguished research fellow, Yankee Group. "HSPA+ is evolving a far more ambitious and long-term road map than was originally envisioned. T-Mobile is using an upgrade to HSPA+ to deliver faster 4G speeds today and is quickly bringing a number of HSPA+ devices to market that greatly enhance the mobile data experience for its customers."
In addition to the network expansion, T-Mobile continues to broaden its lineup of products that tap into its 4G network. Available today is the stylish and powerful T-Mobile myTouch 4G smartphone. Designed to access faster speeds on T-Mobile's 4G network, the myTouch 4G also includes a front-facing camera for Video Chat through Yahoo! Messenger or QIK, HD Camcorder with Screen Share by Twonky™, 5-megapixel camera with flash, Android 2.2, and additional exclusive T-Mobile features such as Genius Button™, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance Communications, myModes and Faves Gallery™. The myTouch 4G is appearing in a national ad campaign beginning today and will be the featured device at T-Mobile retail stores nationwide this holiday season. Also available today is the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 4G, T-Mobile's first netbook to feature built-in access to T-Mobile's 4G mobile broadband network. It also includes Windows 7 Starter Edition - Microsoft Corp.'s latest operating system - and a fast processor for easy Web surfing, communication, photo sharing and multimedia playback in one small, ultraportable device.
"With an upgrade path that continues to provide room for considerable speed enhancements, T-Mobile's 4G network is purpose-built for continued growth. We are now on pace to increase our 4G footprint - reaching 200 million people by the end of this year - with plans to offer 42Mbps theoretical speeds in 2011," added Ray. "As customer demand for wireless data increases, T-Mobile is well-positioned to compete based on the speed, breadth and evolution path of our mobile broadband service."
Additional 4G products already available from T-Mobile and designed to take advantage of the faster 4G service include the T-Mobile webConnect® Rocket™ 2.0 laptop stick and the high-powered T-Mobile G2™ with Google™ smartphone. T-Mobile's 4G smartphones, the myTouch 4G and the T-Mobile G2, are powered by the Android 2.2 operating system, which provides tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing capabilities. Beginning this holiday season, T-Mobile will offer a Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing service plan that allows customers to use their smartphone as wireless modem for connecting laptops and other devices to the Internet through the T-Mobile mobile broadband network. Customers can add the Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing plan to their Web – Unlimited $30/monthly plan for an additional $14.99/month.
Product Availability
T-Mobile plans to offer a selection of affordable data plans for both smartphones and broadband products, with smartphone data plans starting as low as $10/month. T-Mobile customers do not pay a premium for access to its 4G network. For more information on T-Mobile products, services, pricing and promotions, visit http://www.t-mobile.com.
The myTouch 4G is available nationwide tomorrow through T-Mobile retail stores, online at http://www.t-mobile.com, at select third-party dealers, and at leading national retailers including Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam's Club and Target. Customers can visit http://mytouch.t-mobile.com for more information about the myTouch family of smartphones including the myTouch 4G.
The Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G is available tomorrow at http://www.t-mobile.com.

What Is 4G, And Do I Need It?

There's a lot of talk about 4G wireless right now. Sprint has 4G. Verizon's getting 4G. And T-Mobile may or may not be running 4G. In this week's Ask an Analyst, I try to untangle the 4G mystery.
Greg asks, "I'm leaning towards the Motorola Droid 2 for Verizon Wireless, but I couldn't help but notice the absence of any mention of 4G. Will it be 4G compatible, or should we wait?"
The short answer is: You'll need new phones to access Verizon's upcoming 4G network, and no, don't wait. If you're on Verizon Wireless, there won't be 4G phones until the middle of next year. Even then, Verizon will be building out 4G for years to come. 3G will be just fine for most people through 2011, unless they absolutely demand ultimate speed. (Check out the slideshow below for some devices which claim to be 4G.)
The Long Answer: What is 4G?
Here's the long answer.
For consumers, 4G is mostly about Internet speeds. If you don't care about the Web speeds on your phone or modem, then you probably don't care about 4G.
There's actually no widely accepted definition of "4G." The ITU, a global standards body, recently formally defined 4G to exclude every existing technology that anyone is claiming to be 4G, so the official definition is now useless in practical terms. I'll give you my own definition.
A "G" is a generation of wireless technology. Each generation offers significantly faster Internet access than the previous generation, but it's incompatible with the previous generation—you have to upgrade your phone to use it, and carriers usually have to install new hardware.
The first G was the old analog cellular systems. 2G systems are digital, but slow. Many phones still use 2G. Internet speeds on 2G phones range from 9.6 Kbits/s to about 200 Kbps. 3G systems run from about 384 Kbps to—well, we'll get to that.
4G systems such as LTE and WiMAX claim to have real-life speeds of 5 Mbits/s or greater, much like a home cable connection. The most recent versions of these technologies promise speeds in the hundreds of Mbits/s, faster than any home Internet connection available right now. 4G systems are also "all-IP." Down the road, they'll be able to replace the old circuit-switched voice phone calling with voice-over-IP systems.
Various aspects of 4G may also make it easier to install the Internet in a wider range of gadgets, such as digital cameras, gaming systems, and picture frames.
Complicating things, AT&T and T-Mobile are currently installing new 3G technologies which are faster than some of the initial 4G technologies. HSPA+ is thoroughly 3G—it's just a software upgrade to existing networks—but it's screamingly fast. T-Mobile's version can run at 7 Mbps in real life, and they have a pathway to quadruple that within the next few years. Just so they don't get left out of all the 4G chatter, T-Mobile has unilaterally decided to declare their HSPA+ to be "4G."
4G isn't just faster than 3G. Since 4G systems have more capacity than typical 3G systems, they usually don't have the bandwidth caps that 3G networks have (at least for now.) That makes 4G (for now) viable as a replacement for home wired broadband. Clearwire and some cable companies are selling 4G WiMAX as a home Internet solution.
For now, here's what you ask: Is my wireless Internet access too slow? If the answer is yes, then look at 4G.
Who Has 4G?
Right now, Sprint has 4G in two phones (the HTC EVO 4G and the Samsung Epic 4G) and a bunch of modems. Sprint's 4G WiMAX network covers many but not all major cities of the U.S.
T-Mobile's HSPA+, a 3G technology with 4G speeds, is available in most major U.S. cities. It works with the T-Mobile Rocket 2 modem and the G2 and myTouch 4G phones.
Verizon will introduce 4G LTE later this year, starting with modems; phones will come next year. AT&T will introduce HSPA+ later this year, to be followed by 4G LTE in 2011.
Finally, MetroPCS has 4G LTE in three cities: Dallas, Detroit and Las Vegas. The company sells one 4G phone, the Samsung Craft. But MetroPCS's version of 4G (for now) has 3G speeds, because MetroPCS never had 3G and is just now catching up.

Clearwire throttling at-home WiMAX users?

Ah, throttling. Can't ever seem to fully shake it, can we? Just weeks after hearing about a similar issue with the EVO 4G, scores of Clear at-home WiMAX users are now up in arms over apparent throttling on certain accounts. As the story goes, it seems as if the company is pulling back on upload and download speeds (from 10Mbps to around 0.25Mbps) for users who have consumed between 7GB and 10GB in a month, which is comically low even compared to Comcast's hated 250GB / month usage cap. Forum users are finding customer service lines to be no help whatsoever, and some digging has found that this may all be a part of a network traffic administration program that's ongoing within Clearwire. Have any of you seen similar issues? How much data are you sucking down per month? Does your usage clock still show up in your account profile? Let us know in comments below.

Toshiba notebooks get integrated WiMax modem

If you are lucky enough to live in one of the handful of cities around the country that can get access to the Sprint or Clearwire 4G WiMax networks Toshiba has announced some of its notebooks can be purchased with WiMax modems installed already. The newly updated machines are set to hit stores this month and run a range of sizes and price points.

The machines include the Satellite A665 with a 16-inch HD screen, GeForce graphics, and Intel Core processors. The machine will be offered in three models with WiMax inside starting at $804.99. The Satellite M645 is a 14-inch HD widescreen notebook with harman/kardon sound system, Intel Core processors and more. It will start at $759.99 for WiMax packing models.
Toshiba is also offering the Portege R705 with a 13.3-inch screen that is designed to be portable with a weight of 3 pounds. The R705 with WiMax inside is $899.99. The final WiMax notebook is the Satellite E205, a Best Buy exclusive machine. It has a 14-inch screen GeForce 310 M graphics and Intel Wireless Display tech for $1079.99.

Politics Are What Held Up WiMax In San Francisco

San Franciscans are among the likely folks in America to take to WiMax 4G. So why'd they have to wait so long to get it, despite indications that it was pretty much ready to launch months ago? Hooray, bureaucracy!
Apparently the people who push pencils in the San Francisco government have among the strictest cell antenna approval processes in the country, which caused a whopping eight months of red tape delays. As though that weren't bad enough, when Sprint and WiMax finally did get approval, they were hit with an appeal over earthquake preparedness.
Fortunately, it looks as though that's all old news at this point, as 4G has kicked in for the Bay area. Somewhere, some HTC Evo owner finally got all the phone he paid for. [SF Weekly via Engadget]

Clearwire Rover: Pay As You Go WiMax By the Day, Week, or Month

Clearwire just launched Rover, a no-contract service that offers unlimited WiMax goodness for $5 a day, $20 a week, or $50 a month, along with two new WiMax modems. Yep, get ready to start topping up your 4G.
The service is launching in all of Clearwire's WiMax markets with two modems: a $99 USB stick called, um, the Rover Stick, and a $150 puck called, uh, the Rover Puck. The latter of the two can service as a WiMax hotspot for up to eight devices—it has Wi-Fi b/g/n and can simultaneously run 2 SSIDs—though neither have any 3G connectivity.

Here, for your reference, is a map of Clearwire's coverage.
Users will be able to buy new service in some retail stores, like Best Buy, or online, in $20 and $50 increments. Rover, they explain, is "designed for digitally addicted youth who refuse to settle for long-term contracts." Don't you call me an addict, Clearwire. [Rover via Slashgear]

Clearwire Introduces Rover: Instant Gratification to the Internet Addicted
Nation's First Pay-As-You-Go 4G Mobile Broadband Service
Unlimited Usage for Just $5/day, $20/week, $50/month
Redefines "Friends with Benefits" with Rover Puck(TM)
Rover Stick(TM) Available for Those With Commitment Issues
KIRKLAND, Wash., Aug 30, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR) today unveiled Rover(TM): the nation's first pay-as-you-go 4G mobile broadband service for tech-savvy Gen Y customers. The Rover brand is designed for digitally addicted youth who refuse to settle for long-term contracts, overpriced internet service, or speeds slower than what they've become accustomed to at home.
Rover is available in all of Clearwire's 49 4G markets across the U.S. at rover.com. Rover is also available at CLEAR stores, Best Buy stores and select independent wireless dealers in Houston and St. Louis.
"Simple, commitment-free wireless services are wildly popular with the Gen Y crowd, and Rover provides them with the first pay-as-you-go unlimited mobile internet offering at 4G speeds," said Mike Sievert, chief commercial officer for Clearwire. "We've built Rover from the ground up with products, pricing and features designed specifically to serve a younger market who knows how you get connected is just as important as where. Expanding our offers to meet this underserved segment is an important new business opportunity for Clearwire as we continue to extend our leadership in mobile broadband."
"The opportunity for pay-as-you-go mobile broadband should not be underestimated," said Carrie MacGillvray, program manager and wireless analyst at IDC. "Prepaid – or pay-as-you-go – data provides an option for consumers to experiment with the power of mobile broadband without being saddled with a two-year commitment. A prepaid mobile broadband service can offer consumers the ability to access and share Internet service, at home or on the go, in an affordable way."
PUCKS AND STICKS
Friends with Benefits
Rover's flagship device is the Rover Puck: an ergonomically designed portable Wi-Fi hotspot that lets you share broadband access, or "Puck", with up to eight devices at home, out on the town or nearly anywhere the feeling strikes you. The Rover Puck can easily slip into a purse or backpack and serve as an on-the-go broadband access point for devices such as laptops, netbooks, the iPad(TM), the iPod touch(R), smartphones, PSP(R) systems, game consoles, and Wi-Fi enabled digital cameras, among others. Users have the option to connect up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously.
The Rover Puck features mobile download speeds of three to six mbps, with bursts over 10 mbps (up to 4x faster than conventional 3G), using Clearwire's 4G network. The Rover Puck is available today for $149.99 (plus tax).
Going Solo
The Rover Stick(TM) is a personal 4G USB modem that connects any notebook, laptop or desktop to the Rover 4G Service. The Rover Stick is compatible with MacBook(R) and MacBook(R) Pro laptops using Mac OS X, as well as netbooks and notebooks running Windows(R) XP, Windows Vista(R) and Windows(R) 7. Offering the same super-fast internet speed as the Rover Puck, the Rover Stick is available today for $99.99 (plus tax).
No Commitment Issues
New users receive two free days of service to ensure Rover's metro-focused 4G coverage fits their mobile lifestyle. Rover has a 14-day no-hassle return policy for any device purchases made on rover.com or in CLEAR stores.
Rover is priced at $5/day, $20/week, or $50/month for unlimited 4G internet usage. Depending on the retail channel, customers will be able to purchase a Rover Re-Up PIN code or physical Rover Re-Up card in $20 or $50 denominations. Rover Re-Up is available online at rover.com, at all retail outlets carrying the Rover Puck or Rover Stick, as well as at Rover Re-Up specific retail locations. Rover does not require a credit card to activate service and is designed to bring broadband internet to a new audience.
GENERATION Y
The Rover brand is designed for a demographic that has grown up in a wireless world. They manage their life through the internet, and their devices signify status. Rover provides products and service to meet their need for all things internet.
"Rover's target audience has never known life without internet. They love their devices and they want as much speed and capacity as possible, without the limits and commitments of most mobile options," said Seth Cummings, GM, Rover. "Rover offers iconic devices along with straight-forward pricing, and plans where unlimited truly means unlimited. It is not in Rover's DNA to be constraining, confusing or complex."
MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Launch campaign
Rover's initial communications will showcase the dramatic ways in which 4G mobile broadband can change human behavior in previously unimagined ways. More information is available at www.evology.com.
Life @ 4G
Rover.com invites users to experience "Life @ 4G." Rover-sponsored athletes and music artists will be profiled, showing how Rover influences their careers and lives as they live Life @ 4G. Sporting a Rover wingsuit, base jumper JT Holmes, who travels up to 150 mph during freefall proximity flying, lives life with the Rover Puck and no strings attached.
Rover Activity Badges
Rover believes in loyalty, and will introduce a badging system that rewards users for participating in Rover activities. For example, the "Trendsetter" badge recognizes early adopters of Rover in each market, and the "Friends with Benefits" badge acknowledges users who refer friends to the Rover service. Badges have become wildly popular on location-based apps and are expected to resonate with the youth consumer and motivate usage.
THE BIG PICTURE
4G Network of Networks
Rover is the newest brand connected to the Clearwire 4G network, joining brands which include CLEAR(R), Sprint 4G, Comcast High-Speed 2Go, Time Warner Cable Roadrunner 4G, Best Buy Connect and Cbeyond. Today, the Clearwire 4G "network of networks" is available in select cities throughout the United States, where approximately 56 million people live.
Detailed coverage maps of service availability can be found at www.rover.com/coverage.
For press, broadcast and bloggers: Video footage can be linked from www.youtube.com/rover4g. Product and brand images and company logos can be downloaded from the Clearwire Newsroom at www.clearwire.com/newsroom. To subscribe to Rover RSS news feed, click here.
For more information about Rover, visit www.rover.com. Clearwire company information is available at http://www.clearwire.com.

Clear's iSpot Is a WiMax Hotspot For iPhones and iPads

With more cities being blanketed in the warm glow of WiMax every month, 3G speeds are going to start seeming primitive, fast. Clear's iSpot hotspot lets iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches get a taste of the delicious 4G future.
Clear's iSpot can serve as a hotspot for up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices at a time—its site says it was optimized for Apple's mobile devices, whatever that means—while running on its rechargeable battery or juicing up over USB. 
The device, which looks a lot like a Mighty Mouse, or a bar of soap, will be available August 10 for $99, with a no-contract, $25 monthly plan for unlimited data. Not too bad, if your city has already been given the WiMax treatment. Because there's no buzzkill worse than waiting for a snappy new iPhone or iPad to suck down a page over 3G. [iSpot via SlashGear]
Update: Today and today only, you can net the iSpot itself for $29—70% off.
Update 2: Ars discovers why this is so cheap, when the standard CLEAR plan is $40. It's dedicated to just Apple devices—in that, it detects what devices are connected and can only let them connect if it's an Apple device. If you want to unlock it to all devices, they'll bump you up to the $40 a month plan.
Of course, if you're on a laptop, it's probably rather easy to mimic an Apple device by changing some settings, but harder if you're on, say, a BlackBerry. [Ars]

Best Buy to offer notebooks with CLEAR WiMAX modules

CLEAR has announced a partnership with Best Buy which will make WiMAX capable laptops available at Best Buy locations across the US. The goal is to outfit every laptop with an Intel Core series processor that Best Buy sells with a 4G modem by the holiday season.

The CLEAR press release only mentions a couple of models by name, including the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, Inspiron 14 and 15 laptops, and Toshiba Satellite M645 notebook.

It’s not clear at this point whether the CLEAR modem will drive up the price of these laptops, but the 4G network is offering customers a $100 discount on the notebooks when they sign up for a 2-year service contract.

While CLEAR says the WiMAX capable laptops will be available at every Best Buy location across the country, it’s also not entirely clear why you’d want to pick up a notebook with a CLEAR modem at each of those locations… since CLEAR’s coverage area doesn’t even come close to Best Buy’s.

via Electronista

Signs of WiMAX Showing Up On Evos in New York, San Francisco, and LA

Evo owners in New York, San Francisco, and LA are reportedly starting to see some 4G action on their devices. It's just a trickle for now, but hopefully it means Sprint's preparing to turn on the WiMax faucet soon. [Engadget]

Clear 4G USB Modem: Great If You Never Leave 4G

The Clear 4G USB Modem, a Clearwire-branded Motorola USBw 25100 WiMax adapter, is basically a 4G radio on a USB stick. The modem is relatively easy to set up, and Clear includes a USB elbow adapter to help you face the antenna in the optimal direction (typically out a window). The modem costs $70 from Clear without a contract, or you can lease it for $4 per month with a two-year contract. For people who plan on never needing to connect outside the range of a 4G network, the Clear 4G USB Modem might be a fine choice. But anyone who travels, or who lives in one of the many non-4G cities in the United States, would be better off looking for a dual-mode 3G/4G modem.

The good news is that the drivers are clean and simple to use and install. On my wife?s Dell Mini 10, the Clear Connection Manager starts the instant she plugs in the USB modem; on my MacBook Pro and my Debian Linux machine, however, I have to start it manually. (One piece of advice: Take a bit of time to tinker with which way the USB elbow points, in order to get the Connection Manager displaying as many bars as possible.)

Clearwire will need some time to enhance and tune its networks in all markets. Like all wireless providers, though, Clear will make changes faster if and when enough customers complain. If you notice sagging performance in your WiMax service, take a bit of time to tell the company.

AT&T Just Killed Unlimited Wireless Data (and Screwed Everybody in the Process)

Unlimited, all-you-can-eat wireless data was a beautiful thing for Apple devices on AT&T, delivering streams of Pandora, YouTube videos, a million tweets, and hundreds of webpages without worry. And now it's dead.

AT&T's new, completely restructured mobile data plans for both iPhones and iPads have officially launched the era of pay-per-byte data, which we've known was coming. We just hoped it would take a little longer. It's the anti-Christmas.

AT&T is likely just the first, since carriers rarely do anything alone (like when everybody launched unlimited voice calling in lockstep), and Verizon's CTO has rumbled that plans with "as much data as you can consume is the big issue that has to change." And so it is.

If you look at the costs per megabyte, you can see how, despite the fact AT&T is pitching the availability of lower priced plans as a value move, you actually are paying more for less. (Update: Corrected chart, moved a decimal place.)

Under AT&T's old iPhone and smartphone plans, $30/month bought you truly unlimited data. With their new plans for smartphones, arriving June 7 (not coincidentally, the day of Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote) the confusingly named DataPlus offers 200MB of data for $15 a month, while DataPro gives you 2GB for $25. With DataPlus, if you run over 200MB you get another 200MB for $15. But, AT&T tells us that if you're running over the 200MB limit, you can actually switch to the beefier 2GB DataPro completely pain-free (no ETFs or any of that business), and then switch back to the skinnier plan "over time." With DataPro, if you run over 2GB, you get another 1GB of data for $10, ad infinitum. So, if you use 5GB of data, you're looking at a $55 bill for data.

Tethering for the iPhone is here, finally! Hurray! Right? Wrong. First, consider that the old, non-iPhone tethering option offered you 5GB of tethering data for an extra $30 a month. The new plan charges you $20 extra to use the same 2GB pool of data for tethering. You are not buying extra data. You are simply paying extra to use it for tethering.

Let me repeat that: AT&T is charging you an additional twenty dollars a month based purely on how you use your data. This is bullshit, plain and simple.

Why does it matter how you use that 2GB? Why does it cost extra to use it in a slightly different manner, if you're paying for it all the same?

It's asburdity—especially when you consider the basic math. Under the old plan, you paid $60 a month for unlimited data, plus 5GB worth of tethering. Under the new plan, you will pay $45 for 2GB of data, total.

When you break out the dollar-per-byte value, showing just how much data you get per dollar, it becomes clear how outrageous the new pricing schemes are, whatever AT&T murmurs about how much data 98 percent of users actually consume.

The new plans apply to the iPad as well. Meaning the no-contract $30 unlimited data plan, the plan both Apple and AT&T pitched so hard, assuring us that we would never have to worry about data or contracts, is no more. If that $30-whenever-you-want-it unlimited data was a part of your calculus in buying the 3G iPad—it was part of mine—you've effectively been baited-and-switched. They promised one thing, and in just two months, it's gone. I suppose that's the downside of not having a contract with a multi-billion dollar corporation—you're free to ditch them, but they're free to screw you in return.

There is a way out, though it's really more like a way in, since it requires you to dive more securely into the vice grip of AT&T. If you already have an unlimited smartphone data plan and you renew your contract after June 7, as long as you don't change your plan, you can keep on keepin' on with your unlimited plan. In other words, you can get a new smartphone, but keep the same plan—then you're grandfathered in with unlimited data. Same deal with the iPad: If you start an unlimited data plan before June 7, and let it keep automatically renewing, you'll keep unlimited data.

If you add the $20 tethering option after June 7, though, you move to the new plans (which obviously screws iPhone owners interested in tethering). If you don't already have an unlimited smartphone data plan, and buy one after June 7, you'll get one of the new plans. If you come to AT&T after June 7, you'll get one of the new plans. If you start a new iPad 3G data plan after June 7, you'll get one of the new plans. (Here's a bit more on various scenarios and what'll happen with different configurations.)

So, what'll be? Tie yourself up more tightly with AT&T to preserve your data privileges, or join this brave new world, where you pay for every byte you eat? Any hopes you could've possibly had for unlimited 4G, you might as well shred them now. It's true, for most people (98 percent of users, says AT&T), 2GB a month might be fine—I've only used 1GB on my iPad 3G, even after streaming a ton of movies with the intent of killing my battery. And I'm not opposed to metered internet, per se. But I am opposed to higher costs per megabyte, BS charges for tethering, and broken iPad promises. And there's a principle at stake here, dammit. [AT&T]

So Long, Unlimited Data: Verizon Wants Tiered 4G Plans

Yesterday, Verizon Wireless big boss Lowell McAdam told investors that when 4G hits, unlimited data plans won't make sense anymore. Instead, buying "buckets" of data—where you'd purchase a set number of monthly megabytes—is the model of the future.

Just to be clear: segmented data plans like that might be ideal for Verizon Wireless, but they're the opposite for consumers who'll have to shell out overage fees. Especially when McAdam also conceded that the cost of carrying 1MB of data over LTE will be half to a third that of 3G data transfer.

Some brighter news came out of the talk: Verizon's expecting three to five 4G handsets on their network in the first half of 2011, with calls originating from LTE phones being carried over VoIP by 2012.

But the main message: a shift in networks means a shift in billing policy. I guess tiered data plans have been inevitable for some time now. I just didn't know it would be quite this depressing to see them looming on the near horizon. [Financial Times via Engadget]

AT&T cries foul over T-Mobile's 'HSPA+ is 4G' talk

By Ross Miller

No matter how much T-Mobile wants to pretend, HSPA+ is not on the same upload / download pay grade as LTE and WiMAX. Still, that isn't stopping the company from calling its new technology rollout "4G speeds," much to the dismay of another major HSPA+ supporter, AT&T. Cue Ma Bell spokesman Seth Bloom, who recently told Fierce Wireless, "I think that companies need to be careful that they're not misleading customers by labeling HSPA+ as a 4G technology." Of course, AT&T itself is rolling out that technology as an intermediate step between current 3G and LTE, and we know they want to reserve the 4G nomenclature for the latter's unveiling. Hey guys, can we just label it 3.95G and call it day?

Rumor: HTC EVO 4G To Cost $200 On Contract, On Sale June 6th

June 6th has been pointed at again for Sprint's HTC EVO 4G launch, with a crafty customer at RadioShack grabbing some fliers from a branch and being told of the contract prices. $600 out of contract? Steep, but worth it.

According to the PreCentral forum poster, bnceo, who was told of the contract prices, RadioShack is planning a month-long promotion for the phone, which will be the first WiMax/4G phone Sprint will offer. [PreCentral via AndroidCentral]

Cisco sinks funding into WiMAX-supporting Grid Net, looks to ride the 'smart energy' wave

Here's an interesting one. Just days after Cisco admitted that it was killing its own internal development of WiMAX kit, the networking mainstay has sunk an undisclosed amount of cheddar into a company that holds WiMAX in the highest regard: Grid Net. Said outfit has close ties to GE, Intel, Motorola and Clearwire, all of which have also voiced support (and invested real dollars) for the next-generation wireless protocol in years past. Last we heard, Cisco was doing its best to remain "radio-agnostic," and while some may view this as flip-flopping, we view it as brilliant; it's costly to develop internally, but buying stake in a company that's already well versed in a given technology allows Cisco to keep WiMAX at arm's reach without incurring the risk associated with building within. Beyond all that, we think that Cisco's just trying to get in early on the energy management biz, particularly after the US government announced that it would be funding the distribution of loads of in-home energy monitors in the coming years. According to Grid Net, it intends to "use the proceeds from this investment to promote its real-time, all-IP, secure, reliable, extensible, end-to-end Smart Grid network infrastructure solutions," though specifics beyond that were few and far between. Verizon mentioned that it would soon be using its LTE network for all sorts of unorthodox things -- we suppose WiMAX backers are planning to allow the same.

Digg

Grid-Net

T-Mobile's Crazy Fast HSPA+ 3G Network To Reach Over 100 Metro Areas This Year

T-Mobile has announced that they're rolling out their super speedy HSPA+ network to over 100 metro areas covering 185 million people in 2010. More than half of that will be complete by the middle of the year. That's aggressive.

HSPA+ is an easier roll out than 4G, because it's overlaid over T-Mobile's existing 3G footprint. It also gets competitive speeds; its 21Mbps is three times what you're used to from current 3G technologies. And in the few regions it's currently available, like Philadelphia, it really does fly. Even better, most current T-Mobile devices are already compatible with HSPA+, meaning that customers won't need to upgrade their smartphone to get an upgraded network experience.

Products that'll get the HSPA+ treatment include a Dell Mini 10 netbook—welcome news, given that it's our favorite of the current crop. It'll only be available in limited markets to start.

There's also the T-Mobile webConnect Rocket USB Laptop Stick, available next week, which is the first HSPA+ stick available from a major carrier.

For phones, there's the Nokia Nuron, and the Cliq XT, and most enticingly the HTC HD2.

There are also plans for personal Hot Spots, although nothing concrete was announced today, and the execs were totally mum on tethering.

T-Mobile to Rollout the Nation's Fastest 3G Wireless Network with HSPA+ to More than 100 Metropolitan Areas in 2010

T-Mobile delivers home broadband-like experiences on-the-go when surfing the Web, accessing multimedia features, sharing content and more

LAS VEGAS and BELLEVUE, Wash. - March 23, 2010 - Today at International CTIA Wireless 2010, T-Mobile USA, Inc., showcased the nation's fastest 3G wireless network on its latest mobile broadband devices. The company unveiled plans to upgrade its national high-speed 3G service to the High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) technology, which will deliver customers data speeds faster than the current 3G network technology1 . By the end of 2010, T-Mobile expects to have HSPA+ deployed across the breadth of its 3G footprint, covering more than 100 metropolitan areas and 185 million people.

T-Mobile hosted live demonstrations of the home broadband-like HSPA+ data speeds on a variety of products including the new Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 with T-Mobile® webConnect™ - T-Mobile's first netbook - which launches March 24 online and in T-Mobile stores in select markets.2

"Consumers want a mobile broadband experience that's easy and as good as their connection at home on the best wireless devices available," said Neville Ray, senior vice president of engineering and operations for T-Mobile USA. "This year T-Mobile will upgrade its national 3G network to HSPA+ which will support faster speeds and give customers a superior wireless data experience when they access their mobile social network, stream videos or share content. T-Mobile's network is primed to deliver the speeds that today's data users crave."

T-Mobile successfully launched its HSPA+ network service in Philadelphia last fall providing customers access to one of the fastest and most modern wireless networks in the U.S. T-Mobile now has made HSPA+ commercially available in new markets including major areas of New York City, New Jersey, Long Island and suburban Washington, D.C., with deployment in Los Angeles coming very soon.

The company will continue to aggressively expand the availability of HSPA+ in additional 3G markets, putting the necessary backhaul capacity in place to support the very fast speeds. Today, its 3G high-speed data network covers more than 206 million people.

T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is outperforming competing 3G wireless networks with speeds up to three times faster. Blazing fast actual peak download speeds3 were demonstrated today in Las Vegas using both new and current mobile broadband devices, including the T-Mobile webConnect Rocket™ USB Laptop Stick, the first HSPA+ capable device from a national U.S .wireless carrier; the Dell Inspiron Mini 10; the HTC HD2; the Motorola CLIQ XT™ and the T-Mobile myTouch® 3G.

"The webConnect Rocket and Dell Inspiron Mini 10 are the latest mobile broadband products that deliver real customer benefits with faster speeds available today," said Cole Brodman, chief technology and innovation officer for T-Mobile USA. "And the great thing about T-Mobile's 3G network evolution is its backward compatibility - most of our 3G smartphones will deliver a better mobile Web experience. Customers don't have to spend money on a device upgrade, which is a rarity in consumer electronics."

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with T-Mobile webConnect
T-Mobile's newest mobile broadband product, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10, features built-in access to T-Mobile's 3G network, Windows® 7 - Microsoft Corp.'s latest operating system - and the Intel® Atom™ processor N450 for easy Web surfing, instant messaging, e-mail, social networking, photo sharing and superb multimedia playback in one small, ultra-portable device. The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is small and lightweight, weighing just three pounds, and its integrated six-cell battery easily provides up to eight hours of continuous usage. The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 also comes preloaded with T-Mobile's webConnect Manager software to help customers manage usage and connections, including connecting to T-Mobile's 3G network, Wi-Fi and access to thousands of T-Mobile HotSpot network locations nationwide.

Pricing and Availability
The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 will be available tomorrow nationwide online at http://www.t-mobile.com and in T-Mobile retail locations in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Miami for $199.99 with two-year contract and qualifying webConnect data plan.

For more information about T-Mobile's webConnect family of products, including the webConnect Rocket and Dell Inspiron Mini 10, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com/webconnect.

3G coverage is not available everywhere. For more information about T-Mobile's 3G services, mobile broadband products, device features, or the offers and services mentioned, see http://www.t-mobile.com.

WiMAX-enabled HTC Supersonic rumored to debut on Sprint at CTIA

There's hardly anything here that we didn't already know, but an unveiling date of "next week" sure catches our eye. A new report over at The Wall Street Journal confirms earlier details that were fed to us over Sprint's first-ever WiMAX smartphone, and now we're learning that the HTC Supersonic will be officially revealed to the world at CTIA next week. We've heard before that the carrier anticipates selling a 4G phone "this summer," but you can bet we'll be digging for a hard ship date and price tag when we hit the scene in Las Vegas in just five short days.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Wall Street Journal

Clear WiMAX USB modem impressions

Clearwire (along with Sprint and Comcast, just to name a couple) has been fiercely expanding its WiMAX network across America for months on end now, and while select citizens in select cities have had access to the 4G superhighway for just over a year, we haven't actually had the opportunity to find ourselves in one of those locations for any amount of time. Until recently, that is. The Clear 4G service was lit up in Las Vegas late last year, which gave the Engadget squad just enough time to scrounge up a gaggle of Motorola 4G USB sticks and really test out the network while at CES. Meanwhile, the North Carolinians among us were also able to test the boundaries of the 4G patches that have been setup here, and we're finally ready to dish out a few opinions on the fourth generation of cellular data. Eager to know if it's the best thing since the invention of the MP3? Read on to find out.

Clear WiMAX USB modem impressions

Unlike most 3G options, Clear's WiMAX solution can actually replace your home ISP. We'd probably recommend an at-home modem over a USB stick if you're going that route, but we suppose one could always shove their USB modem in their home desktop before hitting the web for the day. Our focus here is on the mobile side, but suffice it to say, if your home is within a well-covered patch of 4G, there's no reason you shouldn't considering ditching your existing ISP and giving this a shot. Granted, we wouldn't recommend that heavy users (particularly those who spend days on end uploading wacky YouTube HD videos) do such a thing, but for casual browsers the speed is likely to satisfy -- and it'll probably save you a buck or two in the end over what you're paying now.

The actual Motorola USB modem that we used was a 4G-only device, which makes it extremely limited when you're traveling. For example, if using a traditional 3G USB modem whilst in the backseat of a vehicle, it can automatically step down to 2G when you pass out of the city and into a more rural setting. It's typically seamless, and it enables one's internet experience to remain in tact even when jumping from one network to another. Unfortunately, this 4G stick is useless when traveling outside of a 4G coverage area; frankly, we'd recommend one of the 4G / 3G sticks if you're jonesing for something quicker, which will allow you to still surf at 3G speeds if you travel to an area that's outside of the 4G umbrella.

That said, the modem itself performed well in the 4G cities that we surveyed. Installation was a breeze on both Mac and PC platforms, and the bundled USB adapter enabled us to angle it as we pleased and prevented the stick itself from blocking our power ports when inserted. The connection management software was rather barebones, and it simply auto-searches and auto-connects to a network (at least on the Mac side) whenever it detects that a 4G device is present. Once connected, a row of lights informs you of your signal strength. And that's where things begin to get iffy.

More so than any 3G area we've ever been in, 4G connections just seemed overly finicky. We could literally move two feet from our current position and drop the entire signal, yet be downloading at blazing fast rates after we moved back and reconnected. We also found that the fringe areas of the posted 4G blankets are more "fringy" than those in the 3G world; unless you're in the heart of the city that Clearwire covers, you should probably expect spotty or intermittent coverage. As an example, the entire Engadget staff had full coverage (and great throughput speeds) while using 4G at our CES trailer; just a five minute walk away to the hotel brought about varied results.

I personally couldn't connect to Clearwire's network at all from my 18th floor room, while my Sprint 3G card hummed along fine; my good buddy and confidant Chris Ziegler had no issues hopping on the 4G waves from his 18th floor room that sat just a few meters down from mine. It seemed that our hotel luck was all over the place, with some connecting sans issue, some not at all and some with paltry rates and a signal that tended to drop with some level of frequency. We fully understand that CES was going on, but it's not like everyone has shifted to 4G handsets just yet -- in fact, we'd wager that the 4G network in Vegas was the lightest used during the show. We also had varying levels of success in hotel suites where press conferences were being held. Some of the team was able to liveblog entire pressers on 4G without a hiccup, while others just down the road couldn't find a signal at all to connect to (meaning we had to resort to 3G).

When we were able to nail down a solid connection, speeds were admirable. Not mind-blowing, but definitely a step up from the 3G rates that we've grown accustomed to seeing. On average, we were able to pull between 2,000 and 3,000Kbps down, while upload rates rarely topped 600Kbps. That's a fair bit less than those theoretical maximums (around half, actually), but since when has any internet service actually delivered those lofty peaks? We should also note that latency was far better on 4G than on 3G; we rarely saw ping times over 100ms, while our 3G test from a year ago rarely saw ping times under 150ms.

If you'll compare these rates to those found in the aforementioned 3G test, you'll notice that 4G is a lot more like 3.5G, so to speak. It's not going to smoke your HSDPA connection by any wide margin, and it's a lot more likely to drop out on you in our experience. Of course, one must remember than this technology is still in its infancy, and there are still waves upon waves of rollouts that need to happen before the level of infrastructure supporting it comes close to matching that already installed by 3G operators. Still, if you're looking to buy into 4G today, we can't recommend any solution that doesn't also offer 3G compatibility as a backup. In our testing, we found 4G networks to be far too spotty and unreliable to use as your sole mobile broadband solution. Even if your home or place of work is supposedly blanketed according to Clearwire, there's a decent chance that some rooms, corners and hallways won't be. 'Course, we'd be a lot more willing to forgive the shortfalls if WiMAX were available in more than a handful of cities, but hey, expansion takes time and money -- neither of which are particularly easy to come by these days.

T-Mobile HSPA+ Speed Test: 3G Gets Pumped Up to 21Mbps

Streaming HD video. Uploading gigantic files. Surfing the web comfortably. These aren't things you'd normally expect on 3G. But T-Mobile's beefed up HSPA+ network, which I tested recently in the first city to launch, handled these tasks beautifully. Simultaneously.

While the other carriers are looking past 3G to 4G technologies—Sprint with its WiMax already up and running, and AT&T and Verizon banking on LTE—T-Mobile is the one doing the most to upgrade the 3G network it already has in place. Overhauling their existing HSPA 3G network to HSPA+ promises theoretical speeds of 21Mbps—three times faster than the 3G we know and don't quite love.

In my testing throughout Philadelphia, the first city to get the upgrade, I found that I was routinely getting triple the speeds we expect from 3G nationally—take a look at our nationwide 3G megatest if you need a refresher—with the HSPA+ network averaging in the high 3Mbps range and peaking at 7.81Mbps in one location.

The 3x jump makes a big difference. Consistently averaging download speeds in the high 3Mbps range might not seem like a terrific improvement, but in practice it puts the experience a lot closer to the broadband you take for granted at home than the crippled access you're often stuck with on 3G. And I really tried to push the HSPA+ network by using the internet the way I would at home, at my most extreme. At one point, I was uploading a several-hundred megabyte file to FTP briskly (around 150KB/sec), downloading a torrent even more briskly (~350KB/sec), and still loading web pages quickly and all at once, instead of piece by frustrating piece. At the end of the day, when I was done with all my testing and just catching up with the stuff I follow on the internet, I didn't immediately ditch the 3G and jump back on Wi-Fi. I didn't feel the need to.

Philadelphia is the first city to get pumped up to HSPA+, though T-Mobile is aiming for coverage in major cities across the nation by the end of the year. Since it's not a new network, just an expansion of their current one, many customers who live in areas with HSPA+ coverage will see improvements in speed with the gear they're using right now. Anything that's HSPA 7.2 compatible—that includes HTC HD2, myTouch, Moto CLIQ, Moto CLIQ XT, Samsung Behold II, HTC Touch Pro 2, Dash 3G—will notice snappier speeds. But to really see things crank, you'll need a dedicated HSPA+ device, and T-Mobile's first is the webConnect Rocket USB stick. I tried out the Rocket, which works with Mac and PC, all over Philly, and was impressed with the results.

I tried the same tests we used in our nationwide 3G test: several runs of speedtest.net, several timed page loads of the Wikimedia Commons Hubble page, and several timed loads of a big Hubble image itself.

Here's where I went. Some of the places were suggested by T-Mobile as optimal testing spots—and cheating or not, I followed them in search of the biggest bandwidth readings. But even when I was off on my own, I found that my speeds rarely dipped to levels currently attainable by standard 3G, and were often, as you can see, much much faster, including latency under 100ms at almost every location.

View Philly HSPA+ Testing in a larger map

The webConnect Rocket USB stick is on sale now and can be purchased for $99 with a 2-year contract or $199 without one. With the contract, you get T-Mobile's EvenMore Data Plan, which will run you $59.99/mo for 5GB data or $29.99/mo for 200MB data, and without it the Rocket gets the EvenMore Data Plus Plan, costing $49.99/mo for 5GB and $19.99 a month for 200MB. If you pay full price up front, the stick pays for itself in 10 months, which might be a good deal, as it's just about how long HSPA+ will enjoy its mobile broadband crown until AT&T and Verizon start deploying LTE in 2011.

That 5GB data cap, however, could be a problem. With the 3G speeds we're used to just surfing the web can be a chore. Downloading big files or watching HD video were usually out of the question. But since the HSPA+ feels like your broadband at home, it's easy to treat it that way, and I can imagine users racking up 5GB dangerously quickly. By my back of the napkin calculations, at the speeds I saw, it'd only take about 4 hours of continuously downloading files to eat up your month's allowance. I forsee customers clamoring for beefed up plans to match T-Mobile's beefed up network.

T-Mobile says they are planning "broad national deployment" for HSPA+ by the end of 2010 and will be naming specific cities at the CTIA conference starting next week. How aggressively they roll out the upgrades will determine the fate of HSPA+, if it emerges as a worthwhile pre-4G alternative or if it falls to the footnotes of mobile broadband history. But if you have the need for speed and HSPA+ makes its way to your city, it's definitely worth your attention. It's so fast, you might forget it's 3G.

First Verizon Wireless 4G Phone Could Appear Mid-2011

Nokia was rumored to be building it, but according to the WSJ Verizon Wireless' first 4G handset will debut mid-2011, running on the LTE network that's launching end of this year after Boston and Seattle guinea pigged the service.

According to the WSJ, Verizon Wireless' first LTE phones will use dual chipsets so they'll still be compatible with the current CDMA network. This will come months, even a year, after Sprint's first WiMax phone, which Palm is supposedly building. [WSJ]