Phones

IPhone 3GS Upstream Speed Limited To 384Kbps

By Jesus Diaz on July 10, 2009 at 4:20 AM

While the iPhone 3GS got a download speed boost—to 7.2Mbps—it didn’t get any upload power-up. According to PC World, its upstream speed is limited by its hardware to 384Kbps. But don’t get out the torches and pitchforks yet.

Most GSM-based mobile phones suffer the same problem: No matter how fast they are at download, they will upload at only 384Kbps. This is because the hardware doesn’t support the HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) standard, created by Nokia—the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) refers to this standard as Enhanced Uplink.

Some would say that this is not needed because Enhanced Uplink—which runs at 1.4 and 1.9Mbps—is not supported by AT&T yet, but in Europe there are networks that already support this standard. I would imagine that users of the popular JesusPhone would love to upload their photos and videos to Facebook and YouTube as fast as possible.

On the other side, with AT&T still struggling to get 7.2Mbps off the ground and most of the other networks having problems and slowdowns everywhere, I would be happy if they all just managed to actually deliver their advertised download speeds. [PC World]

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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • Steve
    July 10, 2009 at 10:54 AM
    @Unf'withable: Really? I can hit 480kbps up easy and I thought my Internet was slow. Unfortunately, my down speed isn't much faster.
  • TheSonOfKrypton
    July 10, 2009 at 9:34 AM
    @stopsucking: Yea, I was gonna say....How the hell do you expect an iPhone, or ANY PHONE for that matter to survive a whole day with Bluetooth on. Bluetooth is KNOWN for being a power WHORE. Turn that off when you're not using it dude, in the interest of your battery. And in the interest of maximizing your battery life, I'm gonna give you a quick run down on what I've done to achieve ridiculous battery life on the iPhone I've had for almost two years now: keep WiFI ON (when it comes to internet battery consumption Wifi
  • Brian Lam
    July 10, 2009 at 8:10 AM
    @fleebailey33: did that, I think, awhile back. google giz explains wireless or something
  • dcdttu
    July 10, 2009 at 7:55 AM
    That's SO AT&T, release something on their network AFTER the fact that the iPhone claims to do now while most other networks around the world match the iPhone's abilities as it comes out, if not surpasses them. They are still overlaying 850mhz 3G on networks that are practically worthless without them, and that is over a year after many have already paid for 3G service 12+ times in an area that 'has 3G' on AT&T's maps, but in reality doesn't. For shame, AT&T...

    dcdttu

  • gemcosta
    July 10, 2009 at 7:24 AM
    @tande04: I just imagine that Giz has a larger version somewhere. It's pretty small right now...Maybe it's just Firefox.
  • citizen024
    July 10, 2009 at 7:06 AM
    Another thing the HTC Hero pwns the 3GS with, 2Mbps up-link FTW!!! Cant wait to get mine, and the cool thing is that Swedish networks support HSUPA!!!
  • tok3ninja; is still in Beta
    July 10, 2009 at 6:49 AM
    @kbftech: With 4G coming up down the ever shortening road we may see it sooner than we thought.
  • Eavangel
    July 10, 2009 at 6:31 AM
    @stopsucking: My brothera 3GS tends to last him that day with about 15% battery left. Not great or anything but at least it's a whole day. Everytime i see him, he's on the thing.

    Eavangel

  • MosesMonster
    July 10, 2009 at 6:22 AM
    @stopsucking: Don't use your ac. Open a window :D I agree though, the battery life is sort of shitty, but I found that if you use EDGE instead of 3G and you buff down the brightness to a little lower than half (if you are in direct sunlight, it doesn't even matter anyway) you should be golden. That bluetooth though KILLS the battery. Turn it off when it's not in use at least.
  • sam-i-am
    July 10, 2009 at 6:15 AM
    You're confusing network speed with radio speed. Although the radio in the 3G S is a 7.2mbps radio, AT&T does not offer that download speed except in a few places. Also, nobody ever advertised that you could download at 7.2mbps on AT&T's network, just that the radio supports it. So no matter how hard you try, you'll never download 7.2mbps on your iPhone 3G S until AT&T upgrades their towers in your area to support it.
  • Steve
    July 10, 2009 at 6:09 AM
    @nutbastard: We are talking 384 kbits per second not kbytes per second. It takes 3 seconds to upload a megabit which is only 1/8 of a megabyte. It would take 21 seconds to upload a megabyte.
  • Yinzers Are Celebrating the Stan
    July 10, 2009 at 6:06 AM
    @Geisrud:
    Ahh okay. So it was me misunderstanding the article. I kind of thought that was it. Thanks for the clarification, guys!
  • Eavangel
    July 10, 2009 at 6:06 AM
    @Denholm: Well that is a big disappointment... that was one of the main features that i was intrigued about. 3 buds of mine got G1s but only one of them actually uses the phone for tethering and he loves it.

    Eavangel

  • soulfinger
    July 10, 2009 at 6:05 AM
    That's almost as fast as my sorry-assed Roadrunner service. Seriously 450kbps up in this day and age is sick.

    soulfinger

  • zeroprime
    July 10, 2009 at 5:48 AM
    @Geisrud: strike
    s
    or del?

    Edit: Looks like < strike >, < s >, and < del > all work for strikethrough.
  • Denholm
    July 10, 2009 at 5:40 AM
    @nutbastard: No. At 384 kbit/s it will take 21 seconds to upload 1 megabyte of data. not 3 seconds. Bits and bytes are not the same.

    Denholm

  • chrishannan
    July 10, 2009 at 5:37 AM
    WoW. No matter how awesome the phone is, people will always find something to complain about. When batteries last a whole month before you have to charge it, you'll complain that you have to charge it at all. When one country supports faster speeds, you'll blame them for Apple not making the iPhone support those speeds. Seriously, did anyone consider that maybe Apple was the one that made this decision on their own and not AT&T?
  • Denholm
    July 10, 2009 at 5:32 AM
    @Eavangel: The G1/Dream uploads at HSUPA (2 Mbit/s) speeds, that much I know. I rarely hit more than 1 Mbit though, but that's because of poor reception rather than a limitation in the hardware. 0.384 is a big disappointment for anyone who's tethering a lot.

    Denholm

  • stopsucking
    July 10, 2009 at 5:31 AM
    I'm not concerned with an upload block. I'm more concerned with the horrrrrrrific battery life of the 3GS/3.0 OS. I am having to charge the phone multiple times per day. And don't tell me to "disable push" or "turn off bluetooth" because that's not a solution. It's like having a new car with poor gas mileage and suggesting that I should "not use the AC". Pssh.

    stopsucking

  • Digitallysick
    July 10, 2009 at 5:25 AM
    Ohhh America why does your cell service suck
  • MosesMonster
    July 10, 2009 at 5:25 AM
    @kuriakos: No where :( Gotta wait on Apple it seems as Adobe made some comment earlier last year that it's up to the hardware developers.
  • secretmanofagent
    July 10, 2009 at 5:14 AM
    @kbftech: How does it cost the same? If you get a wired internet access, actual unlimited downloading. If you use wireless, you usually have a 5GB cap for "unlimited".

    secretmanofagent

  • Unf'withable
    July 10, 2009 at 5:13 AM
    @~/Desktop: Already is faster than mine... I top at 60kb/s..
  • World iS Mi iPhone!!
    July 10, 2009 at 5:08 AM
    @Geisrud: Definitely!! lol

    World iS Mi iPhone!!

  • CSX321
    July 10, 2009 at 5:08 AM
    @nutbastard: A megabyte in 30 seconds. 384 K bits per second. With protocol overhead, etc. you can usually take bits per second and divide by 10 to get approximate bytes per second.

    CSX321

  • zeroprime
    July 10, 2009 at 5:04 AM
    @nutbastard: That's 384 kilobits per second, which translates to about 2.8 megabytes per minute. Still, that is faster than what many people have for home connections, even if it's not as fast as what most Giz readers are used to.
  • jayteemo
    July 10, 2009 at 5:03 AM
    @nutbastard: i think it is a megabit in 3 seconds... it is Kbps... not KBps.
  • laxman15
    July 10, 2009 at 5:02 AM
    so, I guess one could say... at uploading, nokias rock faces
  • simbadogg
    July 10, 2009 at 5:02 AM
    @Yinzers Are Celebrating the Stanley Cup: because apple thinks that users will whine about battery life (because the faster u upload, the faster your battery fades away) since u know...it doesn't have a swappable battery. and also, if they dont include it, then of course...its not necessary. more gestapo apple for you.

    simbadogg

  • HAZman27
    July 10, 2009 at 5:02 AM
    @nutbastard: That's 384Kbps, not 384KBps; you're getting a megaBIT in 3 seconds.

    HAZman27

  • Geisrud
    July 10, 2009 at 5:01 AM
    @nutbastard: hold the fort - there's a much more important issue here. How did you get strikethrough to work?
  • Xeno
    July 10, 2009 at 5:01 AM
    Rabble! Rabble, rabble, rabble!

    Xeno

  • Geisrud
    July 10, 2009 at 5:00 AM
    @Yinzers Are Celebrating the Stanley Cup: it's the same way my laptop doesn't "support" running the processor at 10GHz. It's not that it can, but they blocked it. Or to say it another way, the hardware "cannot do it Captain."
  • John_001
    July 10, 2009 at 4:58 AM
    I just upgraded to the 3GS from the 1st Gen. And While the 3GS is waaay faster, I LIKE that it's still not instant. It gives me a second to review what I just impulsively sent, and if I screwed up, I still have that "Oh, shit!"-moment to try to stop it or go back to fix it
  • kbftech
    July 10, 2009 at 4:54 AM
    I would subscribe any time to a fast, reliable, unlimited* wireless network that would cost about the same as the wired one. Who wouldnt? The major problem for me is that it costs way too much to use 3g as primary internet access. 30$/month is quite expensive for the averge Joe who doesnt badly needs it. Hence, what's the use of a netbook if you don't have internet on the go... I bet netbooks sales would go to the roof if some sort of network existed and besides, why bother using a wired network when the wiresless one gives about the same, costs about the same and is accessible anywhere*? Theres a need there and theres money to be made by doing it: it's meant to be. The question is who will do it and when?

    kbftech

  • Zordon
    July 10, 2009 at 4:47 AM
    @nutbastard: theoretical speed =/= actual speed. Especially since AT&T is probably scanning everything to figure out how to best sell information to ad networks; that's got to slow things down.

    Zordon

  • atlasspanked
    July 10, 2009 at 4:44 AM
    Gee, wireless technology is grossly overpromised - again. What a surprise! If internet, telecom, and computer companies were subject to truth-in-advertising laws, they'd all be in jail. American telecom: "Keeping things primitive until we can jack up your price on the level of service we originally advertised." This gets so old.

    atlasspanked

  • nutbastard
    July 10, 2009 at 4:42 AM
    @Lance eagles3strong: that's a megabyte in 3 seconds. 20 megs a minute. how much do you really want need?
  • tande04
    July 10, 2009 at 4:41 AM
    @gemcosta: Right click save as doesn't work?

    tande04

  • kuriakos
    July 10, 2009 at 4:40 AM
    @TheSonOfKrypton: haha touche (btw where is my flash support dammit)
  • gemcosta
    July 10, 2009 at 4:40 AM
    I'd like a downloadable version of that Steve Jobs pic. It's just full of win.
  • nutbastard
    July 10, 2009 at 4:38 AM
    @Yinzers Are Celebrating the Stanley Cup: they didn't intentionally and arbitrarily throttle it; the hardware simply doesn't support speeds higher than 384kbps.
  • SysRq
    July 10, 2009 at 4:37 AM
    @TheSonOfKrypton: Excellent point. This really doesn't mean much to me, because I could really care less if someone else's phone is slightly faster if it runs a shitty OS, doesn't have decent apps, etc.
  • 32ndnote
    July 10, 2009 at 4:35 AM
    @Itspeat!: It's really all about playing video games. That's what life is about; that's what the 3GS is about. | Apple increased speeds to allow more games and thus get more girls to buy iPhones.
  • my name is jonas
    July 10, 2009 at 4:33 AM
    Whats the difference? We'll be onto the next generation by the time ATT's crappy network is up to speed anyway.
  • ProperBritish
    July 10, 2009 at 4:32 AM
    @TheSonOfKrypton: But then you could reply, "your [insert phone name here] is limited too. Dickweed.". Then again anti-iPhoners may be stupid enough to make this point.
  • TheSonOfKrypton
    July 10, 2009 at 4:32 AM
    @kuriakos: When were the iPhone's specs impressive?
  • Eavangel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:31 AM
    So does this mean that the G1 or the newer MyTouch or Hero will suffer from the same problem if they are GSM? if so, I think i'll still pick up an iPhone. It's not like i'm hosting a website off it or anything. When would i notice the lack of upload speed? Anyone know of any popular apps in particular?

    Eavangel

  • kuriakos
    July 10, 2009 at 4:30 AM
    @TheSonOfKrypton: iPhone fanboys did their fair share of this sort of bragging back when the iPhone's specs were still impressive.
  • JackTheTripper
    July 10, 2009 at 4:29 AM
    Getting about 270 from where I'm sitting right now. That's good enough for me.

    JackTheTripper

  • Itspeat!
    July 10, 2009 at 4:29 AM
    @TheSonOfKrypton: i'm thinking the same exact thing. But then again are there really that many people getting it solely for the internet speed boosts? i would just like to have it due to the processor urgrade
  • Yinzers Are Celebrating the Stan
    July 10, 2009 at 4:28 AM
    Could someone explain why they needed to put a hardware block in place? Why not just allow the phone to try and upload at the higher speed? Wouldn't it just hit the limit and not be able to move faster anyway? Or did I misread something?
  • Invisiblemoose
    July 10, 2009 at 4:28 AM
    After I finally get used to the new comment system, they implement an even more bizarre one... I give up... Edit: Hey look, I can edit...

    Invisiblemoose

  • Sandeep Dinesh
    July 10, 2009 at 4:27 AM
    @~/Desktop: Faster upload and download than mine.

    Sandeep Dinesh

  • kuriakos
    July 10, 2009 at 4:27 AM
    I'm still chugging along on my original 2G and I can't really decide if I want to go ahead and get a 3GS (despite my constant bitching about the iPhone) or hold out for a Pre on Verizon so I can get off ATT (which for some reason is really inconsistent in the San Gabriel Valley).
  • Lance eagles3strong
    July 10, 2009 at 4:26 AM
    wow that is disappointingly slow. While I care much less about upload speeds, and I dont own an iPhone, I still think this is kind of strangely slow.
  • TheSonOfKrypton
    July 10, 2009 at 4:26 AM
    OOoOOoooooooooooooooohhhhh. This doesn't bode well against the anti-iPhone crowd. Now they are going to have another meaningless, obscure hardware advantage to brag about since we all know: Technical specifications define how awesome a phone is!
  • fleebailey33
    July 10, 2009 at 4:25 AM
    and imagine if they refereed to bytes instead of bits for bandwidth, saying bits sounds like its 8x more then it is. And with companies using the broad term 3g everything sounds the same. Most people never heard of HSUPA/HDPA/UMTS, does gizmodo have a 3g chart of the technologies and companies, explaining these terms? would be a great article

    fleebailey33

  • armandxp
    July 10, 2009 at 4:23 AM
    I'm quite happy with the speed on my 3GS. It blazes....
  • ~/Desktop
    July 10, 2009 at 4:23 AM
    I think that might be faster than my home upload speed. xD
  • macserv
    July 11, 2009 at 10:02 AM
    @Digitallysick: I hate having to wait for things to be supported in this country when they're readily available overseas, but I love that the iPhone's popularity is causing comparisons to be drawn between the service hear and abroad.

    Granted, it's probably much more difficult to roll out a service across the USA than it is in Europe or Japan, but that's a rationalization... AT&T needs to get its ass in gear.
  • tok3ninja; is the best non-star
    July 11, 2009 at 1:28 AM
    @kbftech: I'll ditch my wired cable connection for a USB 4G dongle, any day.
  • kbftech
    July 11, 2009 at 12:38 AM
    @secretmanofagent: Thats the point: Right now, it's not. I suppose that if some corporation does this (get the wireless as fast/reliable/cheap than wired connection), it might be an expensive semi-long-shot, but chances are that many, many customers (like me) would let go of their current wired connection to go wireless and maybe some might even switch from desktops/notebooks to more portable devices such as netbooks.
  • Adam Kilker
    July 11, 2009 at 12:27 AM
    I have uploaded a 35-minute clip of fireworks on the 4th of July in less than 4 minutes to MobileMe. I'm just fine with that - in fact the iPhone will do it in the background while I take care of other tasks! Also, I have tested my iPhone in Boston and I get 3.3MB/second download with a 2.5MB/second upload. I'm not seeing the issue...

    Adam Kilker

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