AT&T Has Good News on Its 3G Network, T-Mobile Has Bad News

In the coming months, AT&T is going to increase the speed at which users can upload files on its 3G network. At the same time, rival telecommunications company T-Mobile USA is having difficulties getting its 3G network going at all.

AT&T

Much of AT&T's current 3G network makes use of the HSDPA standard, which increases the speed at which users can download data. Richard Burns, the head of this carrier's wireless network services group, told Reuters that, in the next few months, his company is going to start rolling out technology that will improve the rate at which its customers can upload files.

Burns said that AT&T is responding to demand from bloggers, who want to be able to quickly send images and video to sites like YouTube and MySpace directly from their phones.

T-Mobile USA

Last year, T-Mobile USA paid billions of dollars to acquire the rights to the wireless spectrum it needs to roll out a 3G network. However, the government agencies that are currently using that spectrum are running into delays freeing it up.

T-Mobile had hoped to have its 3G network up and running before the middle of this year, but, according to RCRWirelessNews, police and the Dept. of Homeland Security agencies are having so many problems switching frequencies that T-Mobile's project is currently on hold.

This is a severe blow to this telco, as it's the only major wireless carrier in the United States without a 3G network. And one of its competitors, Sprint, is going to start offering a 4G network to customers in the near future.

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