Review: Network speed test – WiMAX vs. 3G

Last week’s 4G World event in Chicago gave me the opportunity to try a commercially launched WiMAX network for the first time and for the most part I came away impressed. Coverage from the Clearwire Corp./Sprint Nextel Corp. network was fairly robust on the different environments encountered.
Coverage at the McCormack Convention Center was not surprisingly strong, especially nearer the outside windows and close to meeting rooms set up by both Clearwire and Sprint Nextel. Coverage moving closer to the interior of the enormous building slipped a bit, but was still sufficient.
Coverage at ground level out and about in Chicago also proved strong, though the 46th floor room I was staying at in the city did see signal strength dip, though I was able to remain connected to the network.
To test network speeds I enlisted the help of a Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Epic 4G device that was running Google Inc.’s Android operating system. To this device I downloaded a “Speed Test” application that provided data for downlink, uplink and latency.
During my “official” test of speed measurements the phone managed to post average download speeds of 5.3 megabits per second, upload speeds of just over 1 Mbps and latency of around 120 milliseconds. Further localized testing showed occasional download speeds of nearly 9 Mbps with upload speeds topping at just over 1.1 Mbps. Latency typically ranged between a low of 100 ms up to around 200 ms.
The speeds posted by the service were roughly in line with the 6 Mbps downlink and 1 Mbps uplink speeds advertised by both Clearwire and Sprint Nextel. While not the true 4G capabilities expected to of a network labeled at “4G,” the service matched its advertised speed claims, though continued lack of coverage is still a concern.
Editor score: 9/10
Following my return from the trip, I decided to see how those numbers compared with the 3G offerings by some operators.
First up was Sprint Nextel’s CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A-based network. An average of three successive tests using the same Epic 4G device, but with the WiMAX radio turned off, produced average download speeds of 845 kilobits per second, average upload speeds of 635 kbps and latency of just over 200 ms.
The network download speeds were at the low end of the 600 kbps to 1.4 Mbps advertised by the carrier, though upload speeds were at the higher end. So while speeds were down considerably compared with the devices WiMAX capabilities, coverage was far superior to its faster cousin.
Editor score: 8/10
Next up was a similar Samsung Vibrant running on T-Mobile USA Inc.’s HSPA+ network. The device, using the same speed test application, provided an average download speed of 864 kbps, average upload speed of 595 kbps and latency of 150 ms.
The results seemed to contradict the carrier’s network coverage maps claiming HSPA+ capabilities where I conducted the tests, instead showing speeds more in line with traditional HSPA capabilities. A bit of a letdown, but still very close to what Sprint Nextel’s 3G network provided
Editor score: 7/10
The final test was on AT&T Mobility’s HSPA+ network using the Samsung Captivate and running the same speed test application. The test showed average download speeds of 2.8 Mbps, average upload speeds of 278 kbps and latency of 480 ms.
The test’s blazing download speeds showed strong support for the carrier’s HSPA+ capabilities and handily outpaced the rival 3G networks. However, upload speeds and latency were disappointing showing the carrier still has some fine tuning to do.
Editor score: 7/10