Early this morning, we asked our readers to test their 3G speeds to see if T-Mobile had completed their HSPA 7.2 3G upgrade. Based on the results, it looks like many customers are experiencing faster download speeds (over 1 Mbps) and improved latency.
We checked in with T-Mobile and they confirmed that HSPA 7.2 (faster 3G data service) is now enabled across their entire network. Now that HSPA 7.2 is available, T-Mobile will work to continue their upgrade path to HSPA+, which offers downlink speeds up to 21 Mbps.
The following is an official response from T-Mobile USA:
As data consumption by smartphone customers increases, T-Mobile continues to expand and upgrade its network to provide customers with an increased capacity and improved data speeds. 2010 begins with T-Mobile’s 3G network reaching significant milestones to support current and future smartphones:
- T-Mobile’s 3G network now reaches more than 200 million Americans
- HSPA 7.2 (faster 3G data service) is now enabled across T-Mobile’s entire 3G network
- T-Mobile is the first carrier to launch the even faster HSPA+ in the U.S.
While other carriers talk about 4G plans and the promise of compatible devices, T-Mobile will speed ahead with HSPA+ deployments across the bulk of its 3G footprint this year, delivering 3-5 times the speeds of today’s 3G. And the best thing about the HSPA+ upgrade is that it’s backward compatible, so that T-Mobile 3G-enabled devices will be faster in 2010.
