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Cellular broadband is probably the business traveler's best-kept secret. Sure, it ain't cheap, but the freedom of being able to get online almost anywhere is worth it.
For a few years now, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have been playing a game of wireless one-upmanship that's slowly brought their networks up to true broadband speeds. First Verizon and Sprint slapped down EVDO Rev 0, which delivers speeds of about 700Kbps for downloads, but a rather pathetic 153Kbps for uploads. AT&T followed with HSDPA 1.8, then HSDPA 3.6, which regularly clocks in with speeds over a megabit down, but only 384Kbps up. The Verizon/Sprint response was EVDO Rev A, with its 400 to 500Kbps upload speeds.
Now we've got HSUPA, from AT&T. Together, HSDPA and HSUPA make HSPA. Yes, I know: too many acronyms. Blame the engineers. GSM GPRS CDMA 1X EDGE UMTS EVDO Rev 0 Rev A HSDPA 1.8 3.6 7.2 HSUPA HSPA! (Check out the glossary below.)
Here's the difference in plain English. AT&T's system is the fastest and it roams to Europe, but here in the U.S., Verizon and Sprint have better coverage.
Verizon's system is almost as fast for downloads, and has better coverage in the states than AT&T's does. But it doesn't roam to Europe. (Ditto Sprint.)
AT&T's HSUPA is coming on line over the next few months, and I tracked it down just south of San Francisco, and got upload speeds as fast as 1.04Mbps, which beats the 817Kbps max I've seen on Verizon's network.
To take advantage of those speeds, you'll need a PC Card, ExpressCard, or USB modem for your laptop. Right now, AT&T doesn't have any phones that support HSUPA—only cards and modems. I've tested one of each. Performance-wise, they're all pretty similar: make your choice according to price, form factor, and OS compatibility. I prefer USB modems because of their flexibility. Card slots come and go, but every computer has a USB port.
Verizon will debut two Rev-A-compatible smartphones sometime in the vague future (the SMT5800 and XV6800), but for serious surfing, you'll want a laptop modem. We've tested four of them recently, and the links to the full reviews are below.
Cellular broadband can't replace your home broadband connection. The latency is generally too long for gaming, and, more importantly, if you use more than 5GB of data per month the carriers will crack down on you and you'll be charged up to $500 per extra gigabyte! AT&T's and Verizon's 5GB data plans cost $60 a month, but it's a great replacement for spotty Wi-Fi hotspots and costly hotel broadband for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road.
Bone up on your wireless lingo with our glossary of terms below, and then check out our reviews of the latest wireless broadband devices that'll get you online practically anywhere in a flash.
Glossary:
AT&T and T-Mobile use ...
GSM: Global system for mobiles, formerly "Groupe Special Mobile" but now less French.
GPRS: General packet radio system.
EDGE: Enhanced data for global evolution (likely a backronym).
UMTS: Universal mobile telephone system (not actually universal).
HSDPA: High speed downlink packet access.
HSDPA 1.8, 3.6, 7.2: The last number gives the theoretical maximum download speed, in megabits. There have been three versions of HSDPA so far.
HSUPA: High speed uplink packet access.
HSPA: High speed packet access (surprise!)
Sprint and Verizon use ...
CDMA: Code division multiple access.
CDMA 1X: Actually, CDMA 1XRTT, which is code division multiple access, single carrier radio transmission technology.
EVDO: Evolution, data optimized (formerly 'data only,' but that sounded too negative).
EVDO Rev 0 and Rev A: Two versions of EVDO. Rev A is faster. There's a Rev B and a Rev C too, but nobody uses those yet.
In this roundup:
DEVICES FOR AT&T:
Option GT Ultra Express: If you prefer the elegance of an ExpressCard, this should be your choice for getting online with the new HSUPA network.
Sierra Wireless AirCard 881: Owners of older laptops aren't shunted to the side of the HSUPA highway. The Sierra Aircard 881 works in old-school PC Card slots.
Sierra Wireless USBConnect 881 (AT&T): The fastest wireless broadband modem of the moment is a little brick that you plug into a USB port. We prefer it to the alternatives because all desktops and laptops nowadays have USB ports.
DEVICES FOR VERIZON:
Kyocera KPC680: If you prefer a sleeker ExpressCard form factor, the KPC680 will get you online with Verizon Wireless.
Novatel Wireless Ovation U727: When I'm traveling, this is the Verizon USB modem I take on the road: it's cute, compact, and has a built-in memory card reader.
Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U: This Verizon USB modem gets our Editors' Choice because its built-in battery helps boost speeds.
Verizon Wireless UM150: The budget model in Verizon's line is a little slower and a lot less expensive than the competition.