The new iPad will be compatible with high-speed 4G networks from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless carriers.
But the feature, which enables faster Web browsing and smoother video streaming without the need for a Wi-Fi connection, may not be all that great for Denver-area consumers.
AT&T has not launched its 4G, Long Term Evolution network in Denver. The carrier previously said the LTE network would be lit up this year, though that was before it abandoned efforts to acquire T-Mobile, a deal pitched as a way to help AT&T expand mobile broadband coverage.
An AT&T spokeswoman wouldn’t offer any details Wednesday about the company’s LTE plans.
The new iPad will still work with AT&T’s slower 3G network. But consumers will pay the same data rates as those who have access to LTE in other cities.
As for those who go with Verizon, the carrier’s LTE network may not be as fast as it claims, at least in the Denver area. Verizon markets its LTE service as up to 10 times faster than 3G.
On average over the past 45 days, Verizon’s LTE speeds in the Denver area were 2½ times faster than its 3G connections, according to Mobile Pulse, a Denver-based startup that measures mobile broadband network performance.
Mobile Pulse chief executive Andrew MacFarlane said that speeds reached 10 megabits per second only on occasion.
Verizon, though, performed the best in a network speed test conducted last year by RootMetrics, another network evaluator. RootMetrics found that Verizon’s speeds surpassed 10 Mbps in two-thirds of its tests.
Many factors can affect network performance, including congestion and the user’s location and device.
Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209 or
