AT&T Mobility, VZW boost network speeds

AT&T Mobility said it put $50 million into data network preparations ahead of the launch of Apple Inc.’s iPhone, increasing network capacity and pushing its EDGE network from “good EDGE” to “fine EDGE,” as the carrier put it.
One of the major criticisms of the device, which will be released later today, has been that it relies on EDGE for a cellular data connection, rather than the faster UMTS/HSDPA network that AT&T Mobility is continuing to build out.
The additional investment in EDGE capacity is resulting in network speeds of more than 100 kilobits per second, according to AT&T Mobility.
“We know the number of devices and the rate at which they will enter the network, so with that and with the additional data capacity we’ll have, we can always stay ahead of demand,” said AT&T Mobility spokeswoman Jenny Parker.
However, some Web sites and users have reported recent speeds on the EDGE network of up to 200 kbps-although those numbers obviously come before any iPhones are on the network. AT&T Mobility has publicized average EDGE speeds between 75-135 kbps prior to the “fine EDGE” improvement.
Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless played up its network’s new prowess in the face of iPhone mania, announcing that it has upgraded all of its CDMA 1x EV-DO sites to the faster Revision A technology. The carrier said that customers with Rev A-capable devices can expect average download speeds of 600 kbps to 1.4 megabits per second, and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps.