I’ve discussed before how I’m perfectly content with T-Mobile’s HSPA+ speeds on my Nexus 4 at least for the time being, but the opinion of most carriers seems to be that LTE is always better. This is true in the sense that LTE is more of a true 4G network, while HSPA+ is more 3G+, but LTE speeds so far haven’t been quite impressive enough to completely make up for some of the disadvantages. As the last carrier without 4G LTE, T-Mobile has been advertising its HSPA+ network as 4G for a while, but they have recently started moving towards a rollout of their own next generation network.
Some of the first real world evidence of this network surfaced just this week on XDA, courtesy of an AT&T Galaxy Note II being used on T-Mobile. The user of the Note noticed some LTE connectivity in Kansas City, and was smart enough to run a couple of speedtests and post the results for the rest of us to see. While the speeds aren’t as impressive as Verizon’s LTE, the ping times are better than what I often get on HSPA+, and with an LTE network in place speeds can easily get better.
It may not seem like much, but this is certainly a start for T-Mobile, who hopes to have LTE available for quite a few people by the end of this year. The carrier will also offer LTE enabled Galaxy S III and iPhone devices along with their new subsidy free plans. This, along with the added LTE spectrum from the company’s acquisition of MetroPCS, seem to suggest quite a bit of further expansion for the underdog carrier. After nearly being purchased by AT&T, I can’t wait to see what kind of comeback T-Mobile makes.
[TmoNews]
I’ve seen some LTE testing going on in Columbus, Indiana as well. We are on the list of scheduled spots to have 4G but I’ve only recently seen it here and there around town.