With news that Apple's new tablet computer could be available on both Verizon and AT&T's networks, the question becomes which carrier will offer users more bang for their bucks.
Let's start with overall 3G coverage, where Verizon uses a CDMA-based EV-DO Rev. A network and AT&T uses a GSM-based HSPA netw
But there are more factors to be taken into account than simple scope of coverage. When it comes to average data speeds, a recent Root Wireless study found that AT&T had higher average 3G data speeds than Verizon in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Overall, AT&T's average 3G data speeds ranged from a low of 246Kbps in New York and a high of 428Kbps in Dallas. Verizon, meanwhile, had average 3G speeds ranging from 195Kbps in Seattle to 259Kbps in Chicago. The study also found that both carriers had comparably low rates of 3G connectivity failure, as each carrier's connection failure averaged between 1% and 3% for all seven cities.
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What would make the decision to offer the tablet on both of the big U.S. carriers' networks good is that it will give users the ability to get a real (no pun intended) apples-to-apples comparison on the quality of their 3
Not just 3G
Of course, 3G networks aren't the only ways to connect wirelessly to the Internet. There's also the issue of Wi-Fi hotspots, where AT&T has an estimated 24,000 hotspots nationwide compared to Verizon's estimated 10,000. AT&T has put a big emphasis on its Wi-Fi footprint after the company expanded its Wi-Fi services to more than 7,000 Starbucks locations nationwide and after it acquired Wayport, a network and applications management company that provides back-office management for Wi-Fi hot spots.
Looking beyond current 3G wireless technology to future 4G wireless technology, both AT&T and Verizon have decided to use the GSM-based Lo
This story, "Apple Tablet Carrier Smackdown" was originally published by Network World.