{"id":4926,"date":"2011-02-12T10:23:56","date_gmt":"2011-02-12T15:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/?p=4926"},"modified":"2022-12-30T15:55:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T20:55:27","slug":"att-3g-network-magically-upgraded-to-4g","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/att-3g-network-magically-upgraded-to-4g\/","title":{"rendered":"AT&T 3G Network Magically Upgraded to 4G"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AT&TNow that the ITU<\/a> has caved<\/strong> to the marketers<\/strong> at big telecom, miracles happen. AT&T<\/a> (T<\/a>), America\u2019s second-largest wireless carrier, found that its 3G HSPA+<\/a><\/strong> network had automagically evolved<\/strong> all by itself into a fourth-generation (4G<\/strong>) wireless network. Proponents of 4G promise that 4G mobile internet speeds are considerably faster than current wireless networks providing faster download, super-fast video streaming, and more billing opportunities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Since the ITU downgraded<\/a> the definition of 4G to catch up with the marketers and declared, “4G …\u00a0 may also be applied … to the initial third generation systems now deployed<\/em>” there is no consensus of what exact speed is a 4G network, so companies are free to claim what they want and hopefully the market will sort it out.<\/p>\n

AT&T is betting that its customers are too dumb to care. TechEYE<\/em><\/a> cites a Reuters report that AT&T\u2019s chief exec Ralph de la Vega<\/a> believes that consumers won\u2019t notice the difference<\/strong> between HSPA+ and the forthcoming LTE network<\/a> stating that “The whole industry has come to equate more speed with 4G<\/em>.\u201d TechEYE<\/em> points out that AT&T saw a similar miracle in September 2010 when the marketers found that its HSPA+ network became “the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Business Insider<\/a> has proof<\/a> consumers don’t care about 4G. They report on Nielsen<\/a> on findings that only 54% really knew what it meant (super-fast wireless). 27% of the people polled think it’s the latest version of the iPhone. Only 29% of the people polled said they were planning on buying a 4G phone<\/a> in the next year.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"proof<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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