The new 4G networks for cellular companies are at an informal test in Boston by a write from CIO.com who was testing his newest IT service. The devices were tested in the street under common usage but the results were interesting. Check it out.
Since Verizon (VZ) released its first LTE phone this week — and since it’s a lovely day out — I decided to spend my morning strolling through Downtown Crossing in Boston and testing out self-proclaimed “4G” smartphones.
Downtown Crossing is a particularly convenient place to play around with smartphones since Verizon, Sprint (S) and AT&T all have retail outlets there within a block of one another. And since Downtown Crossing is one of the main hubs of the city, it’s highly likely that carriers have made sure to put their best feet forward to ensure the area has good wireless coverage.
Before I go any further, let me admit that this is in no way a formal, scientific test. This simply involved walking into retail stores in the same area and using the Speed Test Android app multiple times on three different smartphones that all claimed to have “4G” connectivity. Anyone who thinks that one guy walking into a store and fiddling with Android phones constitutes conclusive proof that one network is faster than another really needs to read up on the scientific method.
With that giant caveat out of the way, my Speed Test runs on the new HTC Thunderbolt smartphone showed Verizon’s LTE network delivering the goods as far as download speeds go. Over the span of more than 15 separate tests on the device, the download rate never dipped below the 4Mbps range, hovered comfortably in the 6Mbps range and at times burst well over 10Mbps. Simply put, these numbers were superior to anything else I found in the area and were consistent with other reports on the typical speed users can expect from Verizon’s LTE network.
Just for fun, I tried running the Speed Test app in the same store on my 3G Motorola (MOT) Droid X. The result made me want to weep, as my beloved Droid had positively wimpy download speeds in the range of 250Kbps to 500Kbps. This means that anyone buying an LTE phone right now is in for a big drop-off when their device goes out of 4G range and has to switch back to Verizon’s 3G EV-DO Rev. A network. Verizon’s LTE network is currently live in 38 major markets across the country, with several more slated to go online around the country next month. All the same, anyone expecting to get the same fast LTE coverage in their home in the suburbs that they get in their big-city office is likely to be disappointed for the time being.
Who would have thought that our streets in Boston are so IT advanced.
