What Mobile Speeds Really Mean

Note: In deference to more common international terminology, I have switched to using the term Mobile in general references to the 3G and greater cellular wireless systems.

The recent approval of the International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced or IMT-Advanced technical standards by the ITU once again has raised the spectre of Mobile data transfer speeds and what they really mean. The new specification covers numerous aspects such as standard Internet Protocol (IP) packet switching, scalable channel bandwidth of between 5 and 20Mhz, with 40Mhz channels possible in MIMO (Multiple-In, Multiple-Out) mode. However it is the data rates that attract the most attention.

There are three ways to look at data transfer speeds to come up with a rate:

a. The theoretical maximum. This is the speed achieved under ideal conditions, usually in a test or laboratory situation. The chances of anything approaching these speeds will be achieved in the real, day-to-day world is slim to none. In my estimation, anything approaching 50% of these speeds on a somewhat regular basis would be outstanding.

b. The rates advertised by vendors. This is a very tricky one to get a grip on. The tendency is to over promise and under deliver. While the bold type may indicate an impressive speed, the fine print may well indicate this is under ideal conditions and may vary for each actual user. Another trick is to boldly state the maximum theoretical rate while explaining in the fine print this may be achievable for a supplemented service with an additional fee. A different approach is to quote a high speed with the note that this fantastic speed is only available in selected areas, usually large urban centres like Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver. The bottom line is that customers should treat any vendors’ quotes for speed with a healthy degree of scepticism.

c. The actual rate Mobile users receive. There are many network variables impact the speed received by the end users. Obviously, the user’s hardware must be compatible with and connected to the matching network hardware. While IMT-Advanced is meant to be backward compatible it is unlikely existing 3G/4G user hardware will be forward compatible. Another major impact is access node (cell site) congestion. Since the network uses shared bandwidth, the greater the number of users, the slower the rate per user. The accumulation of all the factors can be so severe that the speeds received becomes unusable. 

The IMT-Advanced theoretical rates expected are 1 GB for stationary or static situations and 100 Mbps when on the move at fast (highway?) speeds. That is about all that can be said at this time as there is no public information available in the area of advertised rates and actual rates.

However, we can examine the three ways mentioned above as they apply to Long Term Evolution or LTE networks currently operated by Bell and Rogers. A certain degree of caution needs to be exercised due to the restricted coverage area and limited customer base for the existing LTE networks.

The theoretical rates for LTE are 150 Mbps upload and 70 Mbps download.

Based on information on the vendors’ websites, the advertised LTE speeds are:

1. Bell – currently up to 75Mbps with eventually speeds approaching 150 “as 4G LTE network and devices evolve” The fine print , - actually it is in normal print in this case – states average speeds are in the 12-25 Mbps range.
2. Rogers – currently up to 75Mbps and later in the year approaching 100Mbps. The site notes that “Today, devices are capable of downloading up to 75 Mbps and Rogers LTE customers are experiencing typical download speeds ranging from 12 Mbps to 25 Mbps.”,
3. Tbaytel – No information about LTE on the website.
   

Information about LTE’s actual users’ rates tend to be anecdotal. While I was able to find a few examples of users claiming speeds in excess of 40 Mbps, this appears to be the exception. The majority of users reported download speeds in the range from 8 to 30 Mbps with speeds in the low 20 Mbps being very common. This seemed similar across both LTE networks. Upload speeds tend to be about one third of the download speeds for any given test cycle.

When I extrapolate these results to what we can expect with IMT-Advanced. I draw the following conclusions:

1. It is unlikely that real world IMT-Advanced speeds will approach the theoretical rates
2. Average network download speeds will increase to a level that will provide near real time transfer of movie and other large data files
3. Vendors are getting better at advertising speeds that users can expect and are doing so in a more open way. In turn, users are reporting actually receiving these advertised speeds.

This is a summary overview of the Mobile data speeds.

	Theoretical/Advertised Speed	Expected Speed
3G/4G HSPA*	7.2 Mbps (Standard)	3.5 -6 Mbps
	21 Mbps (Premium)	3.5 – 8 Mbps
	42 Mbps (Limited)	7 -24 Mbps
LTE	150 Mbps	12 -25 Mbps
IMT-Advanced	1 Gbps (Static) 100 Mbps (Moving)	Unknown

*Only service available in the Algoma District as of 29 Jan 2012

To find out where the various speeds are available, see the vendor websites for coverage maps: Bell - Rogers - Tbaytel

New Bell Coverage Map

As a follow-up to my post about Bell moving into the North Sault area. I noticed the Bell map now includes North Sault in future 4G HSPA+ coverage at 21 Mbps. I did not see a specific date for when the service would be available.

ITU Approves New Mobile (Cellular) Designation

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Radiocommunication Assembly meeting in Geneva Switzerland on 18 January 2012 approved the specifications for next-generation mobile (cellular) technologies to be known as International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced). The official press release is at the ITU site

The ITU is a United Nation sponsored agency responsible for setting the international standards for mobile (cellular) communications. They determined that that "LTE-Advanced" and "WirelessMAN-Advanced" should be accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced.

We will have to wait and see how quickly the vendors jump on the bandwagon and start to refer to their systems as IMT-Advanced or 5G. It only took a matter of days after the last plenary session in 2010 that amended the definitions of 3G and 4G for the vendors to tout their network as 4G even though there was no change with the in-service technology.

I hope to post more about IMT-Advanced in the near future.

Hornepayne Now Has HSPA Service

Hornepayne is the latest North Algoma community to get 3G/4G HSPA cellular service.

We are still awaiting information as to when the planned HSPA service for Dubreuilville and Chapleau will be launched. Once these sites are converted, all the Algoma communities identified as locales for HSPA service will be launched and on-line.

As to highway sites, the Tbaytel website shows the ones along Hwy 101 being converted to HSPA in 2012 but whether or not this is actually in the annual network work plan has not been confirmed.

Whether or not Tbaytel will close the gaps along Hwy 17 (Lake Superior Provincial Park area) and Hwy 101 (The Shoals Provincial Park area) without any type of cellular coverage is unknown.

Vianet Services in North Sault

According to their website, Vianet is now offering fixed wireless broadband (high speed) Internet in the Algoma District using Tbaytel infrastructure. Full details are available on the Vianet Residential Wireless page and the associated links.

Note: The following information is provided for information purposes. All costs associated with the services discussed are paid out of my own pocket and I am not reimbursed in any manner.

I recently signed up for Vianet’s vTone service with a Sault Ste. Marie local number. I took the Vianet Linksys Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) and my kitchen telephone with me on a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. I was able to connect the ATA to Internet in my room using a Cat 5 Ethernet cable. Once connected, I had full phone service with a local Sault Ste. Marie phone number. My contacts were able to call my local vTone number in SSM and the phone would ring in Myrtle Beach, all without long distance charges. Likewise I was able to made local calls in the Sault Ste. Marie dialling area, again without toll charges. I also signed up for one of the Vianet long distance plans in case I wanted to use the feature. Sault Ste. Marie is the point of origin for the long distance cost calculations .

This technology may be useful to Snowbirds going south for the winter and wishing to keep in touch with the folks at home.

Xplornet Satellite Service Changes

Xplornet has revised its website and now includes information about the new 4G ViaSat1 satellite service plans.

The price matrix is competitive with HSPA data hub and Canopy fixed wireless offerings but is more costly than DSL or cable rates. Monthly bandwidth allowance is reasonable at the various price points and additional bandwidth costs vary from $3.50 to $2.00 per GB depending on the package. While there is no specific “fine print” information referenced, it appears the daily caps - one of the most annoying features of existing Xplornet satellite service - will no longer be applicable. Details of the various plan options can be found via this link.

Unfortunately, to take advantage of the service, you will have to move to Southern Ontario as the Algoma District is not included in the coverage area as shown on this map (Link no longer exists on Xplornet website.) It appears as if the greater part of Northern Ontario will not be covered by the new Xplornet coverage. Regrettably, the site does not contain any information as to whether or not any new or existing customers in the Algoma District will see any changes in their price or connectivity restrictions.

The site also has a video featuring the CEO of Xplornet, Mr. John Maduri. I’ll not comment on the presentation except to say it left me very confused and far less optimistic than Mr. Maduri.

A second High Throughput Satellite (HTS), codenamed Jupiter, will be launched by Hughes next year. One can only hope that it will provide coverage to the area not covered by ViaSat1. It is unclear if Xplornet will have access to this HTS.

ViaSat1 Undergoes Successful Test

This is follow-up on my blog of 31 Oct 11 about the launch of the ViaSat 1 satellite.

ViaSat Inc announced on 07 Dec 11 the completion of a successful test of the ViaSat1 bird.

As stated in their press release, the company “…has transmitted the first data over the ViaSat-1 high-capacity satellite and the WildBlue high-speed data network. The initial transmissions and receptions were completed the evening of December 2 from a SurfBeam® 2 terminal at ViaSat's Carlsbad campus, through the ViaSat-1 satellite and a gateway located in Milford, Utah. The test included email, web surfing, and video streaming, proving the power of the integrated network. The satellite, designed and owned by ViaSat, is the highest capacity satellite in the world.”

The release goes on to state “The ViaSat-1 high-capacity Ka-band spot beam satellite includes coverage over North America and Hawaii, enabling a variety of new, high-speed broadband services for WildBlue in the U.S., Xplornet in Canada, and JetBlue Airways on its domestic U.S. fleet.”

It appears that first customer use may occur before the end of 2011 but none of the companies involved have released specific details.

The Canadian carrier Xplornet has been uncharacteristically silent on how it intends to use the new capability except to laud the “4G” capability the new hardware opens up.