How Fast Is 3G?
Wireless network technology is referred to in "generations." 1G was introduced in the 1980s to carry the signals of the first analog mobile telephones for Bell Telephone's Advance Mobile Phone. In 1991 2G was developed to support digital signals from cellphones. Digital signals increased system capacity through signal compression and multiplexing. 3G technology was introduced in 2000.
Other People Are Reading
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Verizon Wireless System
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Verizon claims a broadband access with download speeds as high as 1.4 megabits per second and upload speeds as high as 800 kilobits per second.
AT&T Wireless System
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AT&T is using a leveraging technology to beat Verizon's speeds. Their EDGE system delivers download speeds near 1.7 megabits per second and uploading at 1.2 megabits per second.
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Sprint Wireless System
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Sprint makes the claim that Sprint broadband cards can run at speeds of 350 to 500 kilobits per second, with a possible peak of 3.1 megabits per second.
3G Problems
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The principal shortcoming of 3G is availability. It is not available universally and it is not cheap.
3G Transfer Rates
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With average network speeds of 300 to 1,400 kilobits per second for downloads and 300 to 500 kilobits per second for uploads, the signal transfer rates are not exceptionally high. Weather, signal strength, network problems, geography and the specific device being used can cause speeds to vary.
So How Fast is 3G
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Using a standard digital photo with a file size of 235 kilobytes as a benchmark, at 300 kilobits the photo will download in 8.02 seconds; at 1,400 kilobits it will download in 1.7 seconds. Uploading the same photo at 300 kilobits takes the same 8.02 seconds; at 500 kilobits the upload will take 4.8 seconds.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit téléphone mobile image by Morad HEGUI from Fotolia.com
