The Data-Rate Puzzle

Carriers have been hyping soon-to-come, next-generation data rates of 144kb/s and above. Can your CSRs convey information about data speeds and performance?

AT&T Wireless

Total Hold Time: 18 minutes

Transfer/IVR Layers: 3

CSR: Thank you for waiting. This is (name). How may I help you today?

WR: I have a 56K modem at home on my computer, and I don't think my phone has that kind of data speed. What kind of speed do you offer?

CSR: I don't know what kind of speed the cellular phones have. I know that it's text only, no graphics. I know that on my particular phone, I have no problem with the speed or lack of it. Were you trying to get broadband wireless Web?

WR: I just wanted to get the wireless Web on my phone.

CSR: What type of phone do you have right now?

WR: I don't have it on me right now, and I don't remember the model.

CSR: Do you have an Ericsson or Mitsubishi phone? Those are the only two phones that can access the wireless Web.

WR: Must be Mitsubishi.

CSR: Now that phone is slow to connect. But once you're on it, it does actually go between Web sites real well.

WR: Is it going to get faster in the future, as far as your service goes?

CSR: Yes. It should get faster in the future as we build out the wireless Web networks. Right now it's just on analog networks; that's why it's slow.

Verizon Wireless

Total Hold Time: 2 minutes

Transfer/IVR Layers: 2

CSR: This is (name) speaking. How may I help you?

WR: My home computer has a 56K modem, and I don't think that my phone has that kind of data speed. What kinds of speeds are available?

CSR: Are you trying to use your phone as a modem?

WR: I want to get onto the wireless Internet.

CSR: If you want to use your phone as a modem, you wouldn't be using the modem in your computer at all.

WR: Right. I'm wondering how close I can get to that kind of speed on my cell phone.

CSR: Not very close. It's like 14.4K. It's a slow connection.

WR: Will it get faster?

CSR: Yeah. Sometime during this year it should get a little faster.

WR: How fast?

CSR: I don't really have that information yet, because they haven't released it to us. So I'm not really sure what speed it's going to be.

Sprint PCS

Total Hold Time: 15 seconds

Transfer/IVR Layers: 1

CSR: This is (name). Can I help you?

WR: I have a 56K modem at home on my computer, and I don't think my phone has that kind of data speed. What speeds do you offer?

CSR: I'm going to transfer you to our wireless Web department because I'm not exactly sure what speeds we offer. I know it's not nowhere near as fast as that.

After 20 seconds another CSR picks up.

CSR: This is mini-browser support. How may I assist you?

WR: What kinds of speeds do you offer?

CSR: Currently, the speeds themselves are determined by the actual software that a customer will receive with the connection they choose with a phone being hooked up to a laptop or a desktop system.

Normally, the baud rate or the transfer rate can be anywhere from 24.4K to up to maybe 56K. It's going to depend on the systems and the connection type. On average, with our newer software, you could be looking at anywhere between 24.4K and 56K.

WR: But I would have to connect it to my computer?

CSR: Correct.

WR: But what if I'm out and actually want to use the wireless Web?

CSR: You're referring to the browser feature built into the phone?

WR: Right.

CSR: That will always connect at 14.4K only.

WR: What's the next increment for improvement of that?

CSR: There is none. That's just the standard format for the browser on your phone, because the browser on your phone will only transfer and receive in text mode. So the baud rate is actually not really all that applicable. As far as any speed, it won't make it go by any faster or slower.

Mystery Caller is Wireless Review's ongoing series of random calls to carriers to determine how a customer might be treated and the accuracy of distributed information.