Sprint Has Real 4G, So They Say

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In a recent YouTube video, Sprint poked a little bit at their rivals T-Mobile and Verizon. All three of them have begun advertising that they have a 4G network. As every American surely knows with Sprint’s massive marketing campaign, they believe that they have the first 4G network, and now, in the video, they tell customers that they have the only “true 4G network.”

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU),  division of the UN, classifies 4G as a mobile network that can reach 100Mbps. Neither HSPA+, WiMAX or LTE can reach that at the moment, mainly due to the fiber laid to their cell towers restricting them. But, that hasn’t stopped Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile from advertising their networks at 4G – and the ensuring geek rage over “true 4G”.

In the above video (warning, horrible acting by real Sprint employees), you’ll hear Sprint Sales Manager Michael Galluccio say:

Other carriers might claim to have a 4G network, but right now Sprint is the only national carrier with a true 4G network.

Ironically, T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network, the only one of the three not considered to have a shot at reaching 100 Mbps speeds, seems to have the fastest real-world speeds according to our spot check of internet message board reports (un-scientific, I know). T-Mobile, by being the last major carrier to have a 3G network, also has the newest and they’re able to upgrade to HSPA+ by just flashing the firmware on their cell towers – allowing them to rapidly expand their HSPA+ network beyond what Verizon and Sprint can build theirs. Clearwire, the WiMAX provider that Sprint bought a majority share in, in order to piggyback on their 4G network, is broke and is stalling on their network construction – but that’s another story.

The silent fighter in all of this is AT&T. They’ve committed to LTE and will begin building their LTE network next year. But, they’re also upgrading their 3G network to an HSPA+ network, like T-Mobile. But, with a lack of HSPA+ fully compatible phones, don’t expect AT&T phones to reach “4G speeds” anytime soon.

Do you have a dog in the race? Who has the most ‘true 4G network’ out of the four big major carriers in the United States?