The HTC Thunderbolt: Data Speed, True 4G, LTE vs HSPA+, Verizon & The Rest

Is the HTC Thunderbolt Truly 4G?

The HTC Thunderbolt is a special phone for one major reason: it will be the first 4G capable phone on Verizon’s new 4G LTE network. Verizon’s new 4G network is set to be a significant step forward for the wireless industry. To explain why, we first have to examine Verizon’s competition:

AT&T and T-Mobile offer HSPA+ networks across major portions of the United States. Both AT&T and T-Mobile tout their HSPA+ networks as 4G networks, when the networks are, in fact, evolutions of 3G technology. The companies have simply re-branded their 3G networks, and proclaimed the networks 4G. While this marketing tactic might trick most gullible consumers, others want to know what exactly makes a network “4G.”

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations agency, defines “true 4G” networks as offering peak download speeds of 100 Mbps in “high-mobility” situations (like commuting in cars), and 1Gbit/s peak download for low mobility (stationary and walking usage).

AT&T’s HSPA+ network currently averages about 2Mbps download speeds, and T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network averages around 3+Mbit/s download speeds (both as tested in Philadelphia). Even theoretical peak download speeds for both of those networks come nowhere close to the 100 Mbps high-mobility peak download speed required for a 4G network.

So what about Sprint’s 4G Wi-MAX network? Sprint promotes this network as capable of sustained download speeds of 3-6 Mbps, still nowhere close to “true 4G” speeds. A more advanced form of Wi-MAX is in development, and if Sprint chose to upgrade its current Wi-MAX network in the future, it could reach true 4G speeds.

Verizon’s new LTE network is a bit like Sprint’s Wi-MAX network because it is a new protocol, though LTE seems to be faster. Verizon says its LTE network will average 5-12 Mbps, about twice as fast as Sprint’s 4G Wi-MAX network, but still not “true 4G.” LTE-Advanced, theoretically capable of true 4G speeds, is still in development but expected to be built upon Verizon’s LTE infrastructure to provide true 4G sometime in the next few years.

Aside from improved speed, Verizon’s LTE network will also allow for simultaneous data and talk. For some time, AT&T and T-Mobile have promoted their HSPA+ networks capable of simultaneous talk and data in contrast to Verizon’s older CDMA 3G network, which is incapable of simultaneous data and talk. With LTE, Verizon now offers a feature other carriers have had for years.

As it stands upon launch, Verizon’s 4G LTE network is not “true 4G” because it does not reach the required peak download speeds defined by the ITU.

Still, Verizon’s new “4G” network will likely outperform all the other major American wireless carriers for the foreseeable future. With average download speeds of 5-12 Mbps and an expanding LTE network, Verizon could claim to have the fastest, most advanced network. And as noted before, Verizon can now offer simultaneous data and talk, a feature the company has lacked for some time.

The coming years will likely see Verizon upgrading its LTE network with LTE-Advanced, which could raise download speeds to “true 4G” status.

Notably, AT&T has acknowledged the limits of HSPA+, and will follow Verizon in rolling out its own LTE network during the course of 2011.

So to conclude: the HTC Thunderbolt will be the first phone on Verizon’s new LTE network, and, at launch, it could offer data speeds unmatched by any other phone on an American wireless carrier. In fact, the Thunderbolt users may experience download speeds that could rival traditional wired broadband connections. So though the HTC Thunderbolt and Verizon’s new 4G LTE network aren’t “true 4G,” they will be pretty freakin’ fast, and are certainly a major advances for the US wireless industry.