10 posts and columns on Mbps

With HSPA+ Network Upgrade, AT&T Buys Time for LTE

in News on May 18, 2010 at 9:57 am PT

Convinced that long-term-evolution, or LTE, wireless broadband’s path to maturity might be quite a bit longer than some of its rivals claim, AT&T is significantly expanding its HSPA+ network upgrade. The carrier is throwing about $10 million at the effort, which it says will double real-world download speeds from 7Mbps to up to 14Mbps–theoretically, anyway.

The Median U.S. Broadband Speed? South Korea’s Divided by Four.

in News on August 26, 2009 at 5:41 am PT

In South Korea, the average broadband download speed is 20.4 megabits per second. In Japan, it is 15.8 mbps. In Sweden, it’s 12.8 mbps. In The Netherlands, it’s 11 mbps. And in the United States, the country that invented the Internet? It’s 5.1.
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Poky Web Connection? Get Yourself to Delaware (Or Japan).

in Media on July 9, 2009 at 4:28 am PT

If you find yourself constantly cursing as your laptop struggles to stream a video clip, perhaps it’s time to consider a move. If you live in Delaware, you’ve got better odds at getting a high-speed connection than in any other state in the U.S. And if you’re really serious about speedy surfing, get yourself to Japan or South Korea. Bonus video: Break-dancing babies on rollerskates!
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Senators Call BS on Carrier Exclusivity

in News on June 16, 2009 at 2:30 pm PT

Welcome news for folks who love the iPhone, but hate AT&T: The increasing prevalance of exclusivity agreements between wireless carriers and cellphone manufacturers, like the one between Apple and AT&T, is drawing some government scrutiny. Four U.S. senators are urging the Federal Communications Commission to review such deals with an eye toward determining whether they unfairly restrict consumer choice and hamper competition.
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Amazon to Investors: We Wish You a Lousy Xmas

in News on October 23, 2008 at 11:00 am PT

Coming Soon: Relatively Fast Broadband With "Unnecessary Superlative Boost"™

in News on October 22, 2008 at 4:31 pm PT

With U.S. broadband speeds lagging far behind European and Asian countries, Comcast is finally doing its part to bring the country’s lousy broadband Internet services into parity with those of other industrialized nations. You know, like Iceland. Or South Korea.

Coming Soon: Relatively Fast Broadband With “Unnecessary Superlative Boost”™

in News on October 22, 2008 at 4:31 pm PT

With U.S. broadband speeds lagging far behind European and Asian countries, Comcast is finally doing its part to bring the country’s lousy broadband Internet services into parity with those of other industrialized nations. You know, like Iceland. Or South Korea.

Xohm: No Long-Term Commitments Besides Baltimore Residency

in News on September 29, 2008 at 2:01 pm PT

Among the announcements forgotten for a moment amid the shrieks of agony and general keening on Wall Street today, one from Sprint Nextel announcing a single-market launch of Xohm, its new WiMax wireless service. The company lit up Xohm only in Baltimore today, fulfilling its promise to have the service up and running by the end of September. That said, it’s still nearly a year late.

Mind if I "De-Prioritize" Comcast as My ISP, Then?

in News on August 21, 2008 at 2:27 pm PT

My apologies. Comcast has made no final decisions about its future network management practices; nor has it committed to slowing the Internet connections of heavy users for up to 20 minutes during network congestion, though Comcast senior vice president Mitch Bowling convincingly told Bloomberg just that on Wednesday. Rather, that technique–which the company prefers to describe as a “de-prioritizing” of heavy user traffic–is one option among the many Comcast is considering.

Mind if I “De-Prioritize” Comcast as My ISP, Then?

in News on August 21, 2008 at 2:27 pm PT

My apologies. Comcast has made no final decisions about its future network management practices; nor has it committed to slowing the Internet connections of heavy users for up to 20 minutes during network congestion, though Comcast senior vice president Mitch Bowling convincingly told Bloomberg just that on Wednesday. Rather, that technique–which the company prefers to describe as a “de-prioritizing” of heavy user traffic–is one option among the many Comcast is considering.