AT&T BroadbandConnect (HSDPA) review by pcmag

AT&T's high-speed network has come a long way in the past year. It's the only real option for globe-trotting businesspeople who spend time in Europe, and it's got some unique features, such as the ability to talk and transmit data at the same time. Still, for U.S.-bound users, coverage isn't quite up to Verizon's and Sprint's levels.

AT&T's high-speed network is based on HSDPA, which is an upgrade to UMTS—which, surprisingly, isn't an upgrade to the GSM network that AT&T and its predecessors have been using for years now. In fact, it's a whole new network, based on a different kind of technology that's more like (but not compatible with) Verizon and Sprint's CDMA than AT&T's old GSM system.

The current round of HSDPA offers, in theory, 3.6-Mbps downloads and 384-Kbps uploads, with latency of 50 to 100 ms and the ability to do simultaneous voice and data connections. Since it isn't GSM, it also gets rid of the "GSM buzz" you often hear when you use GSM phones near consumer audio or laptop speakers.

Of course, those speeds are theoretical, but I've still gotten very good speeds on AT&T's current network. Testing in New York in May, I recorded average download speeds of 967 Kbps, with peaks at 1.63 Mbps and latency generally around 230 to 240 ms. Upload speeds usually hovered in the 350-Kbps range. Those download speeds are on a par with what I've seen from Verizon's and Sprint's EV-DO Rev A networks, though those networks allow for faster upload speeds; I've observed 800 Kbps on a good day.

You can connect your laptop to AT&T's network using PC Cards, ExpressCards, USB dongles, or embedded modules, or by tethering to a phone. The Motorola RAZR V3xx is the only phone I've confirmed so far that can get the maximum speeds out of the network, because other phones use older, 1.8-Mbps chipsets rather than the new 3.6-Mbps chips. More phones with 3.6-Mbps chipsets should be coming soon, though. If you tether with a phone, you should use USB rather than Bluetooth, as the network exceeds the 500-Kbps Bluetooth transfer rates you get on most phones today.

The network isn't just for laptops. Handhelds such as the Samsung BlackJack and Cingular 8525 benefit from HSDPA's ability to do voice and data connections simultaneously—you can chat on a Bluetooth headset and surf the Web at the same time, something you can't do on Sprint's and Verizon's networks. It's a definite plus for smartphone users. That ability to multiplex voice and data will also come in handy with AT&T's new video-sharing service, debuting this summer. Sprint and Verizon can't match that service, either.

AT&T seems to have a muddier idea of how to make HSDPA pay off for media delivery, though. The company's music and video strategy is less streamlined than that of the two other high-speed carriers. It has no downloadable full-track music store, and in my experience, its MobiTV video application showed jerkier video than Sprint's or Verizon's alternatives. Most disappointingly, HSDPA won't be available at all on AT&T's new flagship media phone, the Apple iPhone.

AT&T now has HSDPA in at least one city in each of 37 U.S. states and territories, but Sprint and Verizon both have more coverage. For instance, AT&T covers only Milwaukee in Wisconsin; the two competitors have Madison, and Verizon works in Green Bay. AT&T covers only Louisville in Kentucky, where the two competitors also have Lexington. In Oregon, AT&T has Portland, but the competitors add Eugene and Salem. In Indiana, both AT&T and Sprint have Gary and Indianapolis, but you'll have to go to Verizon for high-speed coverage in Evansville, Fort Wayne, or South Bend.

What AT&T has that its competitors don't is global reach. Because HSDPA and EDGE are popular standards worldwide, its handsets and cards work in 95 countries, with high-speed connections in more than 40—including Canada, Mexico, and most of Western Europe. Though Sprint and Verizon roam to Canada and Mexico, they don't go to Europe. AT&T offers a $109.99/month plan with 100MB of data in Canada and Mexico, and a $139.99/month plan with 100MB of data in a bunch of other popular countries, including Australia, Japan, and several European countries. After you hit 100MB, though, data costs a painful $5/MB. We took a laptop with an AT&T card to Spain, and we were happy to see speeds in the 300-Kbps range, with peaks of over 600 Kbps.

For folks staying in the U.S., AT&T's prices land between Sprint's and Verizon's. Laptop connection rates are the same as with the other two carriers, at $59.99/month. Cingular's smartphone plan, though, is much cheaper than Verizon's, at $19.99/month; Verizon charges $44.99, and Sprint charges $15.

The global scale of HSDPA also promises a wider range of available devices than on Sprint and Verizon, but so far, the promise hasn't been realized. Nokia and Sony Ericsson, especially, have churned out a range of exciting 3G phones for Europe, but their high-speed capabilities don't work on AT&T's frequency bands. All we here get from those two high-end manufacturers is the lackluster Nokia N75. RIM has also developed high-speed BlackBerrys for Sprint and Verizon, but none for AT&T. Sony Ericsson promises more high-speed phones for the U.S. later this year, so maybe we'll see more then.

I'm thrilled to see three strong competitors in the race to cover the U.S. with wide-area, high-speed Internet access. For now, for U.S. users, I still rate Verizon's network as the ultimate business tool. But especially if you're looking to buy a Windows Mobile smartphone or travel abroad regularly, HSDPA should immediately become part of your business vocabulary.