Gizmodo tested cellular data networks in 11 cities coast-to-coast, including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Maui, New York, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco/Bay Area and Tampa.
Two identical stripped-down Acer Timeline laptops ran Windows Vista, and four 3G wireless modems requested from the carriers. they allowed them to make the choice of hardware, simply asking for their “best performing” model.
AT&T’s pretty consistently was the fastest 3G network nationwide, followed closely—in downloads at least—by Verizon Wireless. AT&T’s network wasn’t measurably more or less reliable than Verizon’s.
In upload speeds, AT&T swept the contest, winning 12 for 12. For downloads, AT&T and Verizon came in first or second in nine markets, and in whatever location we tested, both AT&T and Verizon 3G were consistently present.
