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3G vs. HSDPA: Does speed matter?

3G or HSDPA — most mobile users would not mind the difference these two have when it comes to connecting via mobile 3G internet. This is mainly because most people think 3G in the Philippines is slow anyway. I looked into this to see if the difference between 3G and HSDPA speeds really matter.

3G (3rd Generation of Telecommunication Standards) is a standard of cellular connectivity which allows for speeds of up to 384 Kb/s downstream and 64 Kb/s upstream.

3G HSDPA is a 3G enhancement — HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) is a new mobile data protocol and is sometimes referred to as a 3.5G. Theoretically, HSDPA speeds can reach 3.6 Mbps downstream and 348 Kbps upstream.

My 3G vs. HSDPA test included the ff.:

Smart SIM
Nokia E51 (for HSDPA)
Nokia E63 (for 3G)
Standard Nokia USB Cable
Desktop PC on Windows XP + Nokia PC Suite
SpeedTest.net & 2Wire.com (on Google Chrome Browser)

Using SpeedTest.net (to target a local server) and 2Wire.com (a US server), I took 11 samples for each phone (one on HSDPA and the other on 3G). I dropped the highest and lowest scores and averaged the remaining 9 test results.

Results are as follows:

3G (on Nokia E63)
Download Speed: 448 Kbps (SpeedTest) / 306 Kbps (2Wire)
Upload Speed: 226 Kbps (SpeedTest)
Latency: 274ms

HSDPA (on Nokia E51)
Download Speed: 1,534 Kbps (SpeedTest) / 650 Kbps (2Wire)
Upload Speed: 346 Kbps (SpeedTest)
Latency: 94ms

The numbers might not be definitive but the speed difference is significant between 3G and 3.5G (HSDPA). The speeds will be noticeable especially when you’re downloading torrents as the 3G will hit a speed cap at around 50KB/s while you can still go up to 400+KB/s on HSDPA.

The more surprising result was the latency (response delay) between the two. Latency is significantly lower on HSDPA compared to 3G which means playing network/online games will be much better on HSDPA.

Hope this test results will help you in your next phone purchase with a 3G or an HSDPA. Of course, results will vary depending on the network you are on (in this case, I used Smart 3G).

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Avatar for Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

27 Responses

  1. Avatar for Sharon Williams Sharon Williams says:

    I could never get speeds like this. Maybe the network coverage is important too?

  2. Avatar for God and Love God and Love says:

    I was using smart 3G for years, even on remote islands such as Siargao island or Banaue rice terraces – in most areas I had 3.5G signal with 1Mbps, later I found out that my 1Mbps only was limited by my bluetooth connection from laptop to my Nokia.
    My latest phone was Nokia N900 for internet.

    Right now these months I am in Cambodia, using 3.5G with up to 4.5Mbps night time and half in daytime. Connecting laptop via N900 or N6-01.

  3. Avatar for NJNGuy NJNGuy says:

    Not all 3G phones are the same. The maximum 3G design speed on a Nokia E63 is only 384Kbps. Your test results may be invalid.

    http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/devices/nokia-e63/specifications

  4. Avatar for B0R3L B0R3L says:

    try HSPA850 capable phones (HTC TYTN II) with smart sims, it supports up to 7.2 Mbps downlink.

  5. Avatar for Fred Fred says:

    Hi, i have a nokia 5800. It says it has 3G HSDPA. I don’t know what that actually mean but how will you know (using your laptop w/c is connected to your phone) if your using the 3G network or the HSDPA network? Thanks.

  6. Avatar for Jun Jun says:

    useful info, have you tried N95?

    __________________
    Filipino Community
    http://kasikas.com

  7. Avatar for Abe Olandres Abe Olandres says:

    @ferdz – you can sue the ordinary SIM card from Smart, Globe and Sun Cellular as long as you have an HSDPA-capable handset to use with it.

    @techie – Makati area.

  8. Avatar for ferdz ferdz says:

    Hi Abe and others,

    I’ve been a DSL user until I realize I have to get wireless esp on HSDPA.

    You’ve mention about using Smart. Is it the ordinary sim that they have or I need to acquire a special sim for HSDPA?

    I have sony ericsson w760i phone capable of HSDPA…hopefully I can harness its functionality.

    Thanks in advance guys.

  9. Avatar for aaron aaron says:

    Visibility anywhere in Katipunan sucks. -_- Should’ve gotten Smart Bro na lang, if not for the hassle of needing a Smart Phone/Sim to reload the credits. Grr

  10. Avatar for hourglass hourglass says:

    cool… But I think it really depends upon the location… Considering the attenuation and interference. Thanks for the info! Great blog… More power!

  11. Avatar for Paolo Paolo says:

    They are significantly different. With mere 3G, you’re sometimes getting speeds which are worse than dial-up. Their ad is frankly misleading.

    I own an E51 and it is quite good using an HSDPA with speeds comparable to PLDT DSL at home with prices quite cheap.

  12. Avatar for Techie Techie says:

    where are you when you got those speeds?

  13. Avatar for Lucien Dominick G. Tiojanco Lucien Dominick G. Tiojanco says:

    During peak hours I usually get around 700 kbps…

    I think my connection was about 300 kbps the other day though but it only lasted for like an hour then I was back to HSDPA speeds. I usually experience HSDPA speeds more often than non-HSDPA speeds.

  14. Avatar for joseph joseph says:

    pretty nice but basically it really depends upon your location since it’s a wireless technology there would be a lot of attenuation.

  15. Avatar for ralph ralph says:

    sana hinde lag sa garena.. para di ak ma first blood

  16. Avatar for Yvon Thea Yvon Thea says:

    speed really does matter. I don’t want to waste time by waiting for something to finish downloading. I don’t have that much patience… my bad…

  17. Avatar for Andre Marcelo-Tanner Andre Marcelo-Tanner says:

    I’d like a Globe VS Smart comparison :)

  18. Avatar for TechPinas TechPinas says:

    That’s pretty neat. :)

  19. Avatar for B. Mangahas B. Mangahas says:

    Lucien, what’s sun’s average speed during peak hours?

  20. Avatar for Lucien Dominick G. Tiojanco Lucien Dominick G. Tiojanco says:

    I’m very happy with my Sun Mobile Broadband. Thank god there’s HSDPA signal where I’m at and I’m able to easily hit 3.6 Mbps during off peak hours.

    … I didn’t even expect Sun’s HSDPA to support 3.6 Mbps, I thought they’d start with 1.8 Mbps then move up from there.

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