Editorials
Sprint Offers ‘Up To’ 10x Faster Mobile Broadband in Texas…Sorta…Kinda
Sprint sent out over a dozen press releases this morning announcing 4G coverage in several cities in Texas. That’s great news for Texans, but I’m concerned with how the company is marketing the service.
Right up at the top of the release Sprint states “Sprint 4G delivers downlink speeds, which are up to 10 times faster (1) than 3G.”
That sure sounds awesome, but there’s a ‘gotcha’ in the fine print. Sprint is comparing the fastest 4G scenario with the slowest 3G download speed to come up with the 10x factor. The following text is buried in the footnotes.
“1) Average download speeds: 4G (3-6 Mbps); 3G (600 kbps -1.7 Mbps). Up to 10x Faster Claim: Based on a comparison of lowest 3G speeds to highest 4G speeds (average only).”
Techies will be able to sort out the difference, but what about the average wireless customer?
I think stating 3.5 times faster would be a more truthful description of what customers should expect when upgrading from 3G to 4G.
I’m sure the 10x faster story will be repeated many times by local journalists throughout Texas today.
GoodThings2Life
10/05/2009 at 2:22 pm
Actually, it’s a lot like comparing DSL to Cable service… so it’s not an unfair analysis at all. And yes, it’s something you notice, as long as your computer isn’t the bottleneck.
Sumocat
10/05/2009 at 2:25 pm
It’s no more untruthful than saying I can swim up to 10x faster than Michael Phelps.*
*Based on a comparison of Michael Phelps’ swimming speed while sleeping to my top swimming speed while awake.