What do the big four carriers’ 4G networks have to offer and which is right for you?

Nowadays, cell phone carriers are in-your-face with claims that their 4G network is the fastest. With all the chest-puffing, it gets confusing-no wonder 34 percent of iPhone owners already think their phone has 4G. Over a year ago, I did a similar story; I’m shocked at how much the landscape has changed in such a short time. Real 4G networks, with game-changing speeds, are fully available throughout large swaths of the country–with smartphones rolling out that can take advantage of these advanced networks.

It’s important to know that not all 4Gs are created equal: every network is still better than the 3G ones that proceeded it, but “4G” has really become just a  glorified marketing term. The major differences can be found between the networks. While we’re still in the middle of a transition period, I’ll lay out what to expect from each carrier’s 4G network.

Verizon

The champ is here.

I’ve found that Verizon’s 4G LTE network is the best on the market today. It delivers 5-10 Mbps download speeds consistently, has great in-door penetration, and continues to come to new markets nearly every other week. My personal experiences with Verizon 4G LTE have been fantastic. Independent studies found that it consistently provided the fastest download speeds across the country.

Having a fast network is nice-but it gets boring unless there are cool devices to take advantage of it. Verizon delivers the goods. The Samsung DROID Charge, LG Revolution, and HTC Thunderbolt are all quality smartphones-but that extra speed will quickly drain your battery, so keep a charger handy. Their selection of laptop dongles and mobile hotspots are also quite good.

We’ll have to see how fast the 4G LTE network is when it has millions of users. Their speed will also make it easy to blow through your data caps-unless you were grandfathered in with the unlimited plans. Still, these are minor niggles for a great network.

AT&T

AT&T has ambitious ideas for its 4G network in 2011. It plans to put out 20 devices, which includes laptops dongles, hotspots, phones and tablets. Its “4G” means something a bit different than what Verizon is bringing.

AT&T has rebranded its HSPA+ network as “4G.” This means it will be rolling out LTE soon-and both will be called “4G.” If this sounds confusing, that’s because it is. Still, the HSPA+ network can be better than traditional 3G for download speeds and uploads. Once the LTE network rolls out, it won’t be too bad to fall back to HSPA+ if you have to. AT&T hasn’t given specific speed targets for its LTE network but I’d expect it to perform similarly to Verizon’s.

If the T-Mobile merger goes through, AT&T has potential to rapidly roll out its LTE network–thanks to the new spectrum it will acquire. AT&T is also well-equipped to boost its mobile backhaul; a boring aspect of mobile data but a very important one.

AT&T isn’t quite the place to go for the fastest or best 4G network but I’m expecting that to dramatically change in a year’s time.

T-Mobile

While many of us expect T-Mobile to be gobbled up in early 2012 by AT&T, the company continues to bolster its own HSPA+ 4G network. The carrier just lit up more markets with its HSPA+42 network and this theoretically delivers 42 Mbps down. Realistically, you’re looking at about half those speeds on the go, but 21 Mbps download speeds on a mobile device is still pretty darn good.

The only downside: T-Mobile doesn’t have a single smartphone that can maximize its 4G network-it only has a computer dongle for its HSPA+42 network. Its HSPA+21 network is still pretty good but only the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and T-Mobile Sidekick 4G have the proper radios to make the most of the network.

I wouldn’t worry too much about T-Mobile’s 4G network: it will soon be a part of AT&T.

Sprint

Sprint was rolling out its 4G WiMax network way before 4G LTE was even close to being a reality. In ideal circumstances, it can deliver similar speeds to Verizon. With the EVO 3D and Photon 4G, Sprint arguably has the best set of 4G handsets on the market. It’s also the only carrier with a truly unlimited data plan, so it is an attractive carrier for users who want to consume a lot of 4G data.

Unfortunately, I’ve found WiMax to be quite spotty-particularly when trying to use it inside buildings, as the industry appears to be moving toward 4G LTE. Sprint’s CEO recently said it will have a big 4G announcement this Fall, so don’t be surprised to see it move to LTE while continuing to run its WiMax network. 

It’s still quite a confusing 4G landscape but the key takeaways are that each network is giving better speeds than it used to and things will only improve as we move forward. That sounds good to me, how about you?

Source: Know Your Cell – Cell Phone News, Reviews, Features and More