4G speed thrills

I've been using Vodafone's new 4G/LTE network for the past couple of weeks on an iPhone 5 (4G stands for "Fourth Generation", as opposed to the slower 3G or "Third Generation" mobile networks that cover most of the country today. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. Yes, it is meaningless).

The good news
It's blindingly, blisteringly, blitheringly fast.

For the first time, I've encountered a mobile network I could see replacing my landline broadband.

I hit mobile data download speeds that topped 71Mbit/s, and upload speeds that topped 43Mbit/s.

To put that in context, the fastest speeds I've hit on Dual Carrier HSPA+ (the fastest form of 3G), is in the mid-20s, although often I would get a third or quarter of that.

And on a UFB fibre landline, the cheapest plans offer 30Mbit/s down and 10Mbit/s up (more expensive plans offer 100Mbit/s in both directions).

Vodafone charges a $10 per month premium for 4G on most plans (it's included standard in more expensive plans). I don't begrudge that. The carrier has to recoup its investment, and it delivers on performance.

The bad news
The bad news: Vodafone's 4G ad says "Say hello to things like streaming HD movies, or downloading them in minutes, not hours."

That statement is quite correct in terms of technology performance. At the sort of 4G speeds I've been getting, I could download a high definition move in 10 minutes or so (file size depends on movie length, of course, but most 720p HD movies come in around 2 gigabytes (GB), while 1080p or "full HD" films are about 4GB).

Vodafone's Smart Data accounts include 1GB or 2GB of data at the sweet spot for most power users ($80 too $120 a month, plus that $10 4G premium) and its standard mobile data allowance maxes out at 3GB (onr plans costing $140 - $170). The additional data rate is 20 cents per megabyte, or nosebleed $200 a gigabyte (though at least Vodafone's Data Angel service means you won't get stuck with that cost unawares).

So while you could download an HD movie in minutes, it would be financially foolish to try (I tried anyway, only to be reminded by iTunes that you can't download a 50MB+ file unless you're connected to wi-fi).

Hopefully things will get a bit more competitive - and realistic - on the data cap front after Telecom launches 4G in October (2degrees says it'll also upgrade to 4G, but has offered no timetable).

On this point, commentator Bill Bennett says, "Optus sells a 20GB plan in Australia for $A99, I see that as a benchmark once competition heats up."

I hope so. Certainly, it annoys me when phone companies point to the fact the average smartphone owner doesn't use that much data. They're looking backward in the context of so-so network performance and, more, users cowered by high data charges. They should be looking ahead.

The mixed news
Vodafone offers a good selection of 4G handsets, including the iPhone 5, the Samsung Galaxy 4 and the HTC One. 

You're also set for 4G if you've got the cell-capable version of latest iPad with Retina Display or iPad Mini.

But there's no 4G data stick in the line up yet - a pity since the new network offers, far, far more than the bandwidth required to replace landline broadband, and has none of the lag problems associated with 3G (slight delays or jitter that can ruin two-way apps like videoconferencing). 

Today's modest mobile data caps mean no-one's about  to actually replace their home or small business landline broadband with 4G. But a 4G data stick would be good for power users on the go who need the odd burst of high bandwidth.

Another proviso: I've experienced blistering speeds with 4G, even on Dominion Rd as fans streamed in for a Blues game. But I'm lucky enough to be one of the first people on this new superhighway. It'll get more congested as more come onboard, and want to do more and more with their mobiles. Against this, 4G will be tweaked and upgraded to eventually offer hundreds of mbit/s of bandwidth.

But in the here and now, we're living with a fairly limited rollout from one carrier (Vodafone) in limited parts of one city (Auckland). 

I actually spend a lot of my time on 3G. I get no 4G signal at home, and while I get it at work (in the downtown CBD) I only have to walk 150m to stray back into the land of 3G (see Vodafone's 4G coverage map here).

Things will change rapidly in the next few months as Vodafone expands 4G into Christchurch and Wellington, and Telecom launches. Expect both carriers to have most of the country covered by this time next year (both carriers - and 2degrees - are waiting for the government's auction of 4G friendly 700MHz spectrum before really ramping up their rollouts. Hopefully things will go more smoothly than the fiasco across the Tasman that saw Vodafone Australia boycott the bidding process, saying the reserve price was set too high).

Hopefully by then we'll also have some more realistic mobile data caps so you can actually put your foot down and feel that 4G power.

Follow @ChrisKeall

ckeall@nbr.co.nz