Question: How Fast is a Cell Phone Modem?
If connected to your computer properly, digital (PCS) cell phones can function as a computer modem. (Analog cell phones sometimes can, too, with the right network adapter added.) Using your cell phone as a modem can get you portable Internet connectivity when all other options like WiFi hotspots fail. However, a cell phone modem generally performs worse than alternative forms of Internet acesss.
Answer: A cell phone modem generally runs much slower than home broadband Internet access, slower than WiFi hotspot access, and often slower than even a traditional dialup Internet connection.
The theoretical maximum bandwidth supported by a cell phone modem varies depending on the communication standards your phone service supports. Below are example modem speed ratings for commmon cell phone data communication protocols. Compare these to dialup Internet modems that handle a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 56 Kbps:
- GSM - 9.6 Kbps
- CDMA - 9.6 Kbps to 14.4 Kbps
- CDPD - 19.2 Kbps
- GPRS - 9.6 Kbps to 115 Kbps
- EDGE - 384 Kbps
- EV-DO - 1.5 Mbps - 2.4 Mbps
As with many networking standards, users of cell phone modems should not expect to achieve this theoretical maximum in practice. The actual bandwidth you will enjoy depends on several factors:
- quality of the phone's wireless signal (typically, the distance away from the nearest cell tower)
- competing network traffic on the cell phone provider network
- version of the network communication protocol employed by the provider, along with any technical limitations or extensions they implement
- mix of upstream and downstream traffic you generate (cell phone modems support less bandwidth for uploads than for downloads)
