Being a mobile professional, I’m always looking for fast, consistent wireless connections.

Thankfully, several of Columbia’s mobile telephone providers have upgraded to third-generation technology. This is significant because 3G allows for wireless broadband access in most places. Basically, 3G service compares to the speeds of residential DSL (Internet from CenturyTel, Socket, Tranquility, etc.) without the wires. For me, subscribing to a 3G service means no more Web surfing on a small phone screen and no more depending on a Wi-Fi hotspot to check e-mail.

Once Columbia had acquired 3G services, I decided to find out who is the fastest, who is the cheapest and who has the widest coverage. For testing, I found a couple of Web-based speed testers (who send data back and forth to check upload and download speeds), and I uploaded a couple of test files to my server.

The first test file was a 40KB, two-page Word document. The second was a 5MB mp3 file, which was a five-minute-long cover of Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died in your Arms Tonight” that I recorded when I was in college.

U.S. Cellular, T-Mobile out of the running
My first step was finding what each company had to offer. Verizon began offering 3G as BroadbandAccess back in March. AT&T released 3G in July, calling it BroadbandConnect. Sprint offers 3G as Mobile Broadband. US Cellular currently does not offer any 3G services. T-Mobile does not offer a 3G networking option, focusing its efforts on setting up Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the nation (at Starbucks, Kinko’s and hotels, but with a cost).

After a quick call to Sprint, I learned the company (still) has not rolled out 3G in Columbia, although its coverage extends along Interstate 70 west of St. Louis and east of Kansas City—almost to Booneville. Sprint corporate said Columbia will be hooked up with Mobile Broadband once Sprint “completes acquisition work from an affiliate.” A local Sprint representative told me the delay had to do with ongoing negotiations with an Internet service provider. According to the local representative, Columbia and Jefferson City should get Mobile Broadband in December. Currently, the best speed any Sprint customer will experience is still slightly faster than dial-up.

Sprint joining broadband bunch next month.
Verizon, AT&T and Sprint advertise roughly the same download speeds. However, the advertised upload speeds differ. All claim download speeds of 600 Kilobits per second (Kbps) to 1.4 Megabits per second (Mbps). For upload, Sprint offers speeds of 350 to 500Kbps, while AT&T and Verizon offer speeds of 500 to 800Kbps. To compare, the download speeds for most local DSL providers start at 768Kbps.

Contest boils down to Verizon versus AT&T
For the CBT test, I put the Verizon and AT&T 3G networks through the paces to see which offered the better service in mid-Missouri.

I will offer a caveat: These test were by no means controlled. I simply tested one network and then the other as I traveled throughout Columbia during the second week of November. Client homes and offices, waiting rooms, parks, family members’ homes and coffee shops were all locations for my tests—as random as my schedule.

Not surprisingly, I found the download speed claims to be very accurate.

With AT&T, my average download speed, for more than 40 tests, was 1.38Mbps, with a range of 909Kbps to 1.7Mbps. Though AT&T advertises a range up to 1.4Mbps, the company claims “bursts” may occur at speeds up to 2.5Mbps.

With Verizon, my average download speed was just under 900Kbps, with a range of 699Kbps to 1.175Mbps.

AT&T fastest 3G in the city
While my speed was more consistent with Verizon, my average was much faster with AT&T. At 1.4Mbps, my 5MB mp3 file (a five-minute song) download in roughly 30 seconds; at 900Kbps it took 45 seconds. At both speeds the 40KB Word document downloaded almost instantaneously.

My upload speeds were much lower than expected. With Verizon, my upload average was 366Kbps and my range was 186 to 538Kbps. AT&T averaged a marginally better 368Kbps, with a range of 288 to 570Kbps. While the speeds far surpass those of dial-up, both performed much lower than the advertised 500 to 800Kbps. At 367Kbps, a 5MB file will upload via e-mail or to a server in roughly two minutes, but again my Word document took only a second.

Verizon top gun in the hinterland
Though not currently as fast as AT&T, Verizon does appear to be the winner in rural coverage. AT&T covers only Columbia and Jefferson City, with nothing in between. Outside the city limits, it offers only 2.5G data speeds. Verizon has a much larger coverage area, centering on Columbia then extending out to include Rocheport, Harrisburg, Lindbergh and other areas by the Missouri River—but stopping before Jefferson City. While I have not driven to the edges of the Verizon coverage area, I have been on the edges of AT&T’s Columbia coverage and had some faster speed results.

On price, all three providers have an unlimited data plan for $59 a month; however, all three differ on prices for additional hardware. AT&T offers all PC cards and ExpressCard for $49 (after mail-in rebate). Verizon and Sprint both offer PC cards for $99 and Express Cards for $129 (after mail-in rebates).

Verizon and Sprint offer older PC cards for lower prices online and currently offer USB modems for computers lacking card slots starting at $49. USB modems can be purchased for AT&T (like the one I used all week); however, they are not currently available from AT&T.

I recommend taking your laptop in to make sure you get the right hardware for your machine. This week I used both USB Modems and ExpressCards with my MacBook Pro. Setup was just plug and play for both styles and services. Nonetheless, I cannot promise it is always that easy.

Work with the providers. Most offer a brief trial period with a money-back guarantee. Test the service in the places you travel most, make sure it works and is worth the investment. Remember, your results might vary; my machine is less than a year old and was a high-end model when purchased. The experience on an older machine will most likely be different; it might not work at all. Test before you buy.

Also note that you do not have to go with the same service provider as your mobile phone. If you do not mind another monthly bill, all wireless companies offer data-only plans (watch out; this is usually where an activation fee happens). Since the long-term costs are all the same, the startup cost is an important consideration.

While AT&T was faster, it was by no means the winner of this survey.

If you live and work only in Columbia and/or Jefferson City, only travel to large metropolitan cities, and do not need Internet access while driving down Highway 63, AT&T is probably the right choice for you. Rocheport residents will most likely be more pleased with the service from Verizon. However, when Sprint gets Mobile Broadband up, it might be the trump both.

Having access to the Internet everywhere is much more useful than I ever imagined. After spending a week being able to hop on the Web at the drop of a dime, I ended up selling myself on the service. No matter which provider you go with, if you need constant Internet access, 3G service is worth the investment.

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