At what point will cellular data speed not matter anymore?

[jidery]

Everyone is obsessed with speed. 3G, 4G, LTE, cellular networks keep evolving and speed keeps getting faster. But as data gets faster, data limits remain mostly the same. Most plans are 2gb, with every gig or 2 after that costing $10-$20 more. Why does it matter if someone had LTE, but can only download 2gb? Sure webpages might load a half second faster than HSPA+, but if someone only had 2gb a month they can never fully utilize the data speed of LTE.

Sure the jump from 2G to 3G was needed, as 2G even struggled with the most basic internet operations. Even 3G-4G was nice as 4G is the sweet spot for loading full sized webpages in decent time, but why LTE?

What I am saying is, LTE is capable of downloading a full HD movie in a matter of minutes, but consumers cant because of data caps. With such strong limitations on networks, why does speed even matter past 4G?

 

[Dulanic]

I'm happy /w 2-3Mbps. That's why I left Sprint, the land of 100Kbps on their 3G. As long as I can stream my music and loan webpages quickly, I am good. Most the time I am on Wifi anyways.

 

[cronos]

It actually already doesn't matter.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

It actually already doesn't matter.

yeah because current chips cant render pages fast enough so 10mbps feels the same as 35mbps

 

[ChronoReverse]

LTE is the point for me. HSPA was plenty fast in terms of _transfers_ (throughput) but _latency_ was really bad (can take seconds to spin up) compared to LTE (pretty much as fast as it possibly can be for wireless).

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I'm happy /w 2-3Mbps. That's why I left Sprint, the land of 100Kbps on their 3G. As long as I can stream my music and loan webpages quickly, I am good. Most the time I am on Wifi anyways.

i used to think that too, until i got a 4g phone. the 4g network is better for other reasons as well--better building penetration, more stable, greater range etc... theres no reason to be on 3g at this point, at least if you have verizon

 

[ElFenix]

once we get to actual 4g you'll see carriers run full on tv service over the air.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

once we get to actual 4g you'll see carriers run full on tv service over the air.

is that lte advanced that verizon is announcing in may?

 

[podspi]

I think that LTE is more important for those of us on VZW. That being said, even their 3G is bearable in my area (around 1mbps).

 

[fatpat268]

I couldn't care less about speed if I have a small amount of bandwidth to use.

 

[NutBucket]

I would say speed matters less now that Verizon 4G is widely available. What they need to focus on now is coverage in saturated areas like stadiums and such. Still seeing issues with that in SoCal.

And yes, limited bandwidth does make these speeds less attractive. With unlimited on Verizon I never have wifi on unless I'm in an area where reception is an issue.

 

[Anonemous]

The speed would be dependent on phone usage.

Email/Texting/GPS = <1Mbps
Browsing, emailing photos, facebook = 1-2Mbps with low latency
Video/Youtube streaming = 5-6Mbps or higher
Tethering to PC = the higher the better

 

[Crono]

It already doesn't thanks to caps. I was happy with unlimited 3G from Verizon, but unfortunately the trend is to push 4G but with paltry 3-6 GB caps or lower.

It would be perfect if there were unlimited free WiFi everywhere, but that's not the case.

 

[shortylickens]

When it can stream 4K.

 

[s44]

With current data caps/use scenarios, when Sprint and Verizon retire their CDMA/EVDO networks.

 

[mike5757]

When it can stream 4K.

If a 4K stream were 16 mbps, I would use up my monthly allotment of 200 MB of data in 100 seconds.

 

[shortylickens]

If a 4K stream were 16 mbps, I would use up my monthly allotment of 200 MB of data in 100 seconds.

If yur gonna watch vids for even an hour a day, you will need an unlimited plan.
200 megs is for people to check email, if some of them have small attached photos.

 

[mike5757]

Yeah, I just thought it was a comical stat. Hopefully by the time 4K content becomes prevalent, we'll be able to get more than 2-3 GB of data for $30 per month.

 

[mikegg]

It matters. Why? Because the faster the speed, the more things you can do. For example, you can remotely control your desktop without lag. You can use cloud services like Photoshop cloud without lag. You can do a bunch of other cloud stuff without lag or delay. There's a lot of stuff that you can't do real-time right now on your cell phone or tablet because the internet speed is too slow.

 

[ElFenix]

If a 4K stream were 16 mbps, I would use up my monthly allotment of 200 MB of data in 100 seconds.

With vfinity from verizon you can watch your tv anywhere, at home, on your phone, or on your tablet. just $99 a month for the first 6 months when you sign up for 2 years.

 

[electronicmaji2]

A better question is at what point will cellular CPU Speed not matter.


The future all our desktops will be replaced by handhelds. In speed and storage.

 

[gmaster456]

The 6Mbps I get with HSPA+ is plenty for me.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Caps matter more than speed and have for a while. I can't leave behind my At&t unlimited plan because the tiers aren't even reasonable in comparison.

 

[RockinZ28]

Thats why Im not giving up unlimited on Verizon until they force me. LTE is spectacular, one of those techs that actually feels like it is more than what is needed for now. Add to that their awesome coverage. Been on 3 business trips this month to completely different areas of the US and not been without 4g. Stream mlb.tv, youtube and netflix in HD, download hd mkvs without a care tethered. Dont even use the joke of a wifi network at my office.

Last hotel charged $13/day for wifi, another I had a worthless signal in my room that just kept dropping, and another I got ~0.5mbps with 500ms+ pings. Ive not stayed at a hotel that is even comparable to vzw lte.

I'll take my 15mbps+ with sub 70ms pings thank you.

But yea without unlimited, or much cheaper data prices, there is little point. Even just browsing the web and streaming Pandora, I can hit 2gb/mo.

 

[skriefal]

Caps matter more than speed and have for a while. .

I agree. But it's easier for the carriers to "sell" speed than it is for them to sell bandwidth. So that's what they do.