BlackBerry Bold 3G Faster than iPhone 3G, Fixed Faster than Mobile, Says Gartner

By Reporter Wireless and Mobile News on January 28, 2009 5:08 PM

3G speeds aren't always as fast as users would like or expect them to be according Gartner's Phillip Redman who wrote "U.S. 3G Networks Deliver Less Than Expected"

Because the iPhone 3G can't use the latest 3G technology it won't achieve speeds faster than 1.4 Mbps download (compared with 1.7 Mbps on some PC cards). The newer BlackBerry Bold
supports faster speeds. Redman noted in his report.

When there are more users in the area there can be slower throughput speeds, because the wireless network shares bandwidth.

Fixed devices fair better than mobile devices. Carrier tests result in faster speeds when a device is fixed versus mobile. Mobile testing may show speeds to be 50% slower on average than fixed throughput tests.

Notebook computers that have better antennas and more power sources can send and receive signals faster and from greater distances than phones.

He explains the 3G outlook this way:

The "Big Four" wireless network providers market their wireless throughput as
"broadband," which is generally defined as download speeds greater than 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds faster than 250 Kbps. Although the theoretical rates of the technologies the providers are using can achieve these speeds, actual mobile network averages are generally between 300 Kbps and 700 Kbps lower for many reasons. In turn, the network providers don't guarantee these speeds, but advertise that they can provide "up to" advertised speeds.