Has Your Smartphone Speed Improved?

When you’re dealing with a company involved in one of the most hostile industries, each press statement has to be taken with a grain of salt. It is puffery or is it genuine news?

AT&T announced that it has expanded “the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network” in the Bay Area, expanding its coverage into Marin County — specifically Novato and San Rafael.

George Ross, an AT&T spokesman, did his best to explain the technology in layman’s terms: “The most important news worthy development here is that LTE is a much, much faster network for data. The mobile broadband (basically the internet on your smartphone) is up to 10 times faster than on a 3G network. So smartphone users will notice far quicker response times from websites and downloads.  That's in large part because LTE is uses spectrum (which is finite) far more efficiently than traditional network technology, creating more space to carry data so the network doesn't get clogged up.”

Then he really dumbed it down: “A very crude analogy would be basically driving on a crowded freeway, and you suddenly get access to the carpool lane.”

There’s a video, if you’re interested.

So, AT&T users — are your downloads faster? Is your smartphone particularly brainy lately? Or is AT&T jut trying to stave off the competition in one of the roughest business industries of the modern era by getting a little extra attention? Tell us what you think.

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