FCC to measure cellphone service speeds

{mosads}“We know from experience: transparency on broadband speeds drives improvement in broadband speeds,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. “Our ongoing Measuring Broadband America program has helped improve performance in wired broadband. Our new mobile broadband measurement initiative extends the program to smartphones and other wireless devices. It will empower consumers and encourage improvements in mobile networks and programs, benefitting millions of Americans.”

Home broadband companies improved their speeds significantly between the first and second years of the FCC’s report on their performance.

The commission will discuss the details of carrying out the mobile study at a meeting on Sept. 21.

The major wireless providers are working to upgrade their networks with LTE technology, which promises to deliver faster speeds for downloading apps and streaming videos. 

LTE is considered a 4G, or fourth generation, technology, but there are few standards for what qualifies as “4G.” 

AT&T, for example, began claiming earlier this year that its iPhone customers were accessing a 4G network even though, according to Apple, the most recent iPhone model is only capable of running 3G technology.

—Updated at 11:47 a.m.