AT&T Announces 3G Expansion And Begins Discussion Of 4G

AT&T (NYSE: T) said it is bringing high-speed 3G service to 80 new cities this year and is starting a process to determine what its fourth-generation plans will look like. Yesterday’s announcement is an acknowledgment that even though 3G is relatively new to some parts of the U.S., the conversation has already moved to 4G as customers adopt content driven applications and feature-rich phones like the iPhone.

The AT&T 3G network now delivers typical downlink speeds ranging between 600 kbps and 1.4 mbps and uplink speeds of 500 to 800 kbps — that’s close to DSL speeds. But AT&T said today that it has more extensive plans that include building out its first HSUPA network, which would provide even faster uplink speeds by the middle of this year. That’s critical as people want to send photos or videos from the phone. When it comes to 4G plans, which perform closer to cable Internet speeds, the company said it is leaning towards HSPA+ and LTE technologies. AT&T must have felt like it needed to enter the 4G conversation as all its other competitors are starting to move fairly quickly.

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless: The second largest carrier has been receiving a ton of attention recently for its participation in the current wireless auction. Although bidding is anonymous, analysts suspect that it is the leader in the quest to win a chunk of nationwide spectrum designed for delivering high-speed 4G networks. In addition, since the end of 2007, Verizon Wireless’s 3G network covered 240 million people using its EV-DO Rev. A technology (what could be considered the CDMA equivalent of HSUPA).

Sprint (NYSE: S) Nextel: Sprint’s broadband network covers more than 230 million people with the vast majority upgraded to EV-DO Rev. A. In addition, the third-largest carrier is at the forefront of the 4G conversation, along with Clearwire (NSDQ: CLWR), for choosing to go with WiMax. Under the name of Xohm, it has launched WiMax in Chicago, Washington DC and Baltimore.

T-Mobile USA: The farthest behind in the speed race, T-Mobile USA purchased 120 spectrum licenses covering most of the U.S. in 2006. The acquisition doubled T-Mobile

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