Beyond 3G — Practical Cellular Internet Access

PreacherTom writes "For years 3G, or 'third generation,' denoted some future wireless utopia where voice, data, and video would all merge into a wondrous amalgam, marked by snazzy phones that do everything perfectly — and fast. There is indeed a new wireless utopia, and again, it's about merging voice, data, and all the other stuff at even faster speeds. It is known as High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, or HSDPA, and it has started appearing on wireless networks operated by companies such as Vodaphone in Europe and Cingular Wireless in the U.S. Meanwhile, South Korea's Samsung has even started building HSDPA-ready phones. The technology promises wireless speeds as high as 3.6 Mbps but in practice will be much slower than that — fast enough, though, to make wirelessly surfing the Web and downloading music and video well worth the effort."

solution...

[Lumpy]

force these carriers to charge sane rates. Come on, all this hype about internet, broadband speeds, listen to music and watch tv on your phone is all great until you see your first bill and crap bricks as it adds up to $200 a month. SMS messages are insanely overpriced, now companies are going back to charging per incoming and outgoing messages.... and people on plans that are supposedly their "good" customers get gouged while the pay as you go people get the best rates on internet and SMS messaging.

Cripes I dropped my Nextel for a Boost Moble and cut my work phone bill in 1/2 and kept all the features I had. I still have a blackberry and still get email (*not through the BB service or app but a jme app) I get 24/7 unlimited internet access that my laptop happily still uses, and 2 way "beep-beep" they like to call it, and pay HALF of what I paid on a plan.

none of this will take off until the phone companies stop screwing the customers that are loyal and signed up for a plan/contract...

Then we get to coverage, most cellphone companies have crap coverage, my family has personal cingular phones and they recently did a change to the tower software ot hold onto a call as long as possible... so you dont get a dropped call. you get a 30-60 seconds of silence until you get fed up and press end... OHH! fewer dropped calls!!! my ass. my stepson has a "go phone" cingular's prepaid... he get's SMS for $0.05 each outgoing and free incoming..... while as a good doobie contract holder I pay $0.10 for every incoming AND outgoing...

They can develop all the technology they want, the customers will not use it or want it until it's not at gouge you to hell prices...