The Fastest Networks
Among the other large carriers, there wasn't a clear winner for data offerings. Each had their ups and downs. If there was anything I learned, it's that network performance is wildly inconsistent depending on where you live and to where you'll be traveling. In considering the other 3 networks, there are a few questions to ask when deciding which network to choose. Do you want to hop onto the network with the fastest potential speed? Or do you want the network that was consistently faster than the others, even if it didn't break any speed records? Do upload speeds matter as much as download speeds? All of these questions result in a different choice of network.
After Verizon, the fastest network I tested was the Clear WiMAX network, the same 4G service also used by Sprint. Sprint and Clear use the exact same WiMAX network (and Sprint is a major shareholder in Clearwire), so I consider their service interchangeable for my purposes. Sprint's WiMAX network was leaps and bounds ahead of both T-Mobile and AT&T. Though Clear's network couldn't beat Verizon Wireless, speeds on the WiMAX network were still good, better than the other two HSPA+ networks. I usually saw speeds in the range of 2-4 Mbps on Clear. That's low, for sure, and even a traditional 3G network might offer speeds that are better, depending on your local network coverage. But in the metroplex, WiMAX beat the rest of the pack. Overall, across all of my download tests on Clear's WiMAX network, I recorded an average speed of 3.8 Mbps.
In 80% of my network tests, Clear's WiMAX network beat AT&T and T-Mobile in terms of download speeds. Also, in terms of raw performance, the fastest speeds I saw on any network after Verizon were on Clear. In the historic Fort Worth stockyard district, a popular tourist spot, Clear often registered download speeds in excess of 11 Mbps. Though T-Mobile's HSPA+ network often came close, I never saw HSPA+ break the 10 Mbps mark.
That said, Clear's WiMAX service could be unreliable. Sprint's WiMAX network was far reaching, and I never found a spot that lacked a 4G signal. But even on the so-called 4G network, I often saw data slow to a crawl that was less than 1 Mbps. Or, I might have three consecutive runs that were under 2 Mbps, followed by a few tests in the same spot that exceeded 6 Mbps. In real-world terms this meant videos might stutter and stall. Downloads might stop unexpectedly, or Web pages might require a refresh to finish loading a page properly. This wasn't a significant issue, and WiMAX maintained its second-place status throughout my tests, but if Verizon Wireless can hold onto its network performance as the service grows more popular, Sprint and Clear will have their work cut out for them if they want to catch up to the winner.
Clear's WiMAX network was also the second-place runner-up in terms of network latency. Even with occasionally inconsistent results I found, the network usually responded faster than the two HSPA+ networks on AT&T and T-Mobile.
Sprint also has another significant advantage over Verizon and the other competitors. Its 4G service is offered with a truly unlimited contract. In the Dallas area, Clear markets its WiMAX network as a possible alternative to a home network connection, and offers home base stations that can turn a 4G signal into a home Wi-Fi network and a VoIP phone connection. So far, Clear is standing by its "unlimited" offering, unlike on other carriers, where "unlimited" actually means "5GB," or some similar data cap. So, you can watch all the movies you like, or download all of the huge files you want, without worrying about exceeding your limit.
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