T-Mobile doubles 4G network speed to 42Mbps in 55 markets, launches Rocket 3.0 data stick

By on May 24, 2011 at 12:01 AM
mobile May 24, 2011

T-Mobile has just announced that the carrier is doubling the 4G network speed to a whopping 42Mbps in 55 markets. In addition to bumping the network’s speed, T-Mobile is also launching a new product, the Rocket 3.0 USB data stick. The 55 markets that will be able to immediately take advantage of the $99.99 with contract 42Mbps-capable USB data stick are:

  • Albany, GA, Athens, GA, Auburn, AL, Augusta, GA, Austin, TX, Bentonville, AK, Boulder, CO, Chattanooga, TN, Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX, Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL, Denver, CO, Detroit, MI, Durham, NC, El Paso, TX, Fort Collins, CO, Gainesville, FL, Gainesville, GA, Greeley, CO, Honolulu, HI, Houston, TX, Jacksonville, FL, Long Island, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Long Beach, CA, Santa Ana, CA, Macon, GA, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Miami, FL, New Orleans, LA, Oklahoma City, OK, Olympia, WA, Omaha, NE, Oxnard, CA, Thousand Oaks, CA, Ventura, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Pittsburgh, PA, Ponce, Puerto Rico, Portland, OR, Salinas, CA, San Francisco, CA, Oakland, CA, Fremont, CA, San Jose, CA, Sunnyvale, CA, Santa Clara, CA, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Santa Cruz, CA, Watsonville, CA, Santa Rosa, CA, Petaluma, CA, Savannah, CA, Seattle, WA, Spokane, WA, Tampa, FL, Tulsa, OK, Valdosta, GA, Vellejo, CA, Fairfield, CA, Warner Robins, GA, Wichita, KS.

The Rocket 3.0 USB data stick, manufactured by ZTE, goes on sale starting tomorrow, May 25th, and T-Mobile expects over 150 million people to be covered in the company’s increased 4G network speeds in 2011.

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40 Comments

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  • Anonymous

    Ok, im from Long Beach, Ca. (one of the cities listed up there). I don’t really see my sister’s G2 pulling more than 6-8mbps. I know that amount is already good enough for a phone, but its still nowhere near the theoretical 42mbps, not even 21mbps.

    • http://twitter.com/flyawaymike flyawaymike

      The article referred to a USB dongle for a computer, not a phone… 

    • http://www.ScienceProUSA.com SciencePro

      That phone supports a theoretical 14.4mbps so you won’t see higher than that.  But I would expect a bit higher than 6-8.

    • Anonymous

      The phone or data card needs to support the higher speeds.  Your sister’s G2 supports a max of 14.4, so getting 6-8 is not bad, about 50%+-10% of maximum rated speed.  If this ratio scales, a data card or phone supporting 42 Mbps might get sustained 20 Mbps, which is solidly into cable modem speeds.

      Keep in mind that for the foreseeable future phones will lag in speed compared to data cards, due to power consumption and space considerations.

    • http://twitter.com/SParKlngCyaNide SparklingCyanide

      I see 8 to 11mbps regularly on the myTouch 4G so just sounds like your area.

      • serpentor

        Yeah, I regularly see 5mb down on my Galaxy Tab, and that’s not even 4G.

      • Anonymous

        two words:  backhaul congestion.

        42Mbps on the pole is is useless if the Tmobile backhaul network is throttled at 10Mbps.  

        And the fact few phones can gulp that much data at a time (and still do things like…. be a phone and be ready to answer a call).

        As an ATT customer in a market where the backhaul network saturates every after noon around now… I can’t wait for TMobile to merge…  My wife is a TMob customer… As soon as a 42Mbps Mobile Hotspot comes out for our iPads, we’re switching off of ATTs ’4′G that gives us 3Mbps occasionally.

        I want my Gs.

    • Thisisje

      it only has a 14mbps antenna. So 8 out of 14 is pretty good.

  • Neo2

    AWESOME

  • http://www.ScienceProUSA.com SciencePro

    I want to see some speed tests…this is remarkable.

  • Anonymous

    LOL! T-Mo’s HSPA+ is making Verizon’s LTE look silly! Sayin…

    • Dude

      No it isn’t. LTE theoretical max is far above 42 Mbps.

      • jay_max

        And HSPA+ theoretical max is well above 100 Mbps right now, so what’s your point?

      • Dude

        Only point is that HSPA+ does not.make LTE look silly . LTE will still be in use long after HSPA+ has outlived its usefulness. HSPA+ is but a doorway to LTE , besides that’s what At&t has planned.

  • Anonymous

    They said it was coming…I would have done a few speedtests downtown had this been posted earlier. I’ll be in downtown Houston again tomorrow though. This is really good news if they’ve actually done it.

  • http://twitter.com/WillieFDiazSF William Diaz ✔

    I certainly hope that T-Mobile understands that some of these “markets” are actually within ONE MARKET and are not separate…. Salinas, CA, San Francisco, CA, Oakland, CA, Fremont, CA, San Jose, CA, Sunnyvale, CA, Santa Clara, CA, Santa Cruz, CA, Watsonville, CA, Santa Rosa, CA, Petaluma, CA,Vallejo, CA, Fairfield, CA are all within one major market and thats the San Jose – Oakland – San Francisco market (biggest major market city to smallest) 

  • Anonymous

    Nice! Now that is what I am talking about dude. Most impressive.

    http://www.privacy-online.us.tc

  • Anonymous

    And when you say Austin, TX, you really mean the Austin, TX airport. The city itself is being shunned by Verizon while it builds out hot markets such as Temple-Killeen and Bryan-College Station. Still, in their advertising they’ll continue listing “Austin”, implying the city itself. Classy Verizon. 

  • True2Form

    Tested this near downtown Los Angeles over the past 2 weeks in a beta launch.  In an uncrowded environment  I was getting speeds in excess of 30 Mbps (down)

    Realistically users should expect download speeds under 10 Mbps with higher bursts here or there (real world) once more users clog up the airwaves or as more 42 Mbps devices become available.  

    Very much on par with Verizon’s LTE network but unlike Verizon the newer T-Mobile network will benefit all of their 3G/4G users in upgraded areas due to increased backhaul and backwards compatibility.  

    • Anonymous

      Actually the biggest benefit here is a second 3G carrier for 2x the capacity

  • drew dogg

    LTE can peak at 100 mbs in a lab test too. Stop calling it 21 mbs and 42mbs. U know that isn’t what anyone is ganna get on their phone. BGR u guys do realize people are going to see this expect those speeds right? At least be half a journalist and put a darn asterisk! *_*

    • GinaDee

      Calm down drew dogg.  This is a tech enthusiast site.  You insult us by assuming we’re a bunch of Cosmo magazine readers.  

    • bigbudha

      you do know the meaning of theoretical? right.

    • KCRic

      You do realize that the 42Mbps network is NOT for phones, right? A phone can not exceed the max speed supported by it’s baseband chip. This network is meant for USB data sticks and at some later date when power consumption is dealt with, phones.

      At least use half your brain and think before you splatter your retarded brain cells all over the internet.

      • drew dogg

        That speed will still never be reached even on an aircard (stick). Nothing to see here folks… Carry on.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Kroh/509408139 Eric Kroh

    is it safe to say..I have a “rocket in my pocket”..lmao!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Kroh/509408139 Eric Kroh

    LTE will ALWAYS beat HSPA+..google the differences

    • True2Form

      Eric you sound like a bitter Verizon employee.  I know I used to work for them too and believe me the kool-aid was forced by hand.  

      But your assessment is not necessarily true.  That’s like saying all cable internet users will always beat DSL speeds.  
      Theoretically LTE (in it’s current form) may produce higher speeds than anything HSPA + has deployed.  But a HSPA + network with more backhaul and fewer users could easily best a LTE network with more users slopping up all the capacity. 

      LTE has some benefits namely speeds in fringe areas.  Speeds are not guaranteed regardless of technology neither are statistics.  

  • http://twitter.com/trathkopf Ted Rathkopf

    “Bentonville, AK”?  No.  Alaska doesn’t have T-Mobile service, and there is no Bentonville, AK.

    • Anonymous

      Probably supposed to be Bentonville,Ar.

    • serpentor

      AK is Arkansas.

      And Bentonville, AK is better known as home of WalMart HQ.

      • Walter0

        AK is not Arkansas. AR is. AK is definitely Alaska. Which mean definitely a typo.

      • http://twitter.com/trathkopf Ted Rathkopf

        AK is Alaska.  Arkansas is AR.

      • Jimshoots81

         Arkansas is AR.  Alaska is AK.  I’m sure they meant Bentonville, AR

  • joeldf

    So, they are basically “almost half-way there” to “real” 4G… :)

  • http://twitter.com/donclark donclark

    Pricing on this as well as many other services will need to come down. Sure there will be some early adopters, but to bring in the masses, drop the price (please). Anyone know of a lower price, please let me know.

  • Anonymous

    Maybe my eyes are bad. I see a bunch of little tiny country cities in Georgia on that list, but I don’t see Atlanta on there.

  • http://www.takoyaki.org barron

    I’m getting about 8 Mbps on my G2 in Austin today.

  • ~AR

    wha?!? No Sacramento?! You guys even have Salinas on that list but no love for the Capitol City?!? bo0!

  • http://twitter.com/WillieFDiazSF William Diaz ✔

    Had my chances to test the speeds in San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale and the entire Peninsula up to SF again, and  found that my speeds remain the same in some areas, but for the most part Im experiencing slower than before speed. In many areas Id get 9mbps and now its 2mbps. Other areas Id get 900kbps now I get 150kbps. I just started a new bill cycle, so Im not throttled or anything. So this HSPA+42 isnt anything special, its actually worse than before.

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