High-speed Cellular Networks

Once you get high-speed, you'll never go back. That's true about cable and DSL at home, and it's true about wireless high-speed data, too. If you spend any time at all on the road, hooking up to one of the high-speed services offered by Sprint, Verizon and Cingular is a little like having the Internet plugged directly into your brain. And while the services are expensive, they can pay off quickly in avoiding Wi-Fi fees.

Right now, there are three high-speed cellular networks in the U.S. Both Verizon and Sprint use the CDMA 1xRTT EV-DO technology (if you really want to know, that stands for code division multiple access, single channel radio transmission technology, Evolution Data Only. Most people call it EV-DO.) EV-DO offers theoretical download speeds up to 1.8 Mbps, with uploads at 153 Kbps. A few other countries, most notably Japan and Korea, have EV-DO networks, but you can't use U.S. EV-DO devices overseas.

Sprint and Verizon share our Editors' Choice for having excellent, competing sets of services. They charge the sameâ€"$79.99 or $80 a month for unlimited use, or $59.99 with a voice plan. That may sound like a lot, but it pays off if you would otherwise spend eight nights a month in hotels with $10-a-day high-speed connection fees. Both networks are available in dozens of cities nationwide, though they have different lists of cities. You should check Sprint's and Verizon's coverage maps before buying to see which one better suits your travel patterns.

Both Sprint and Verizon sell data cards with average download speeds of between 600 and 850 Kbps. In recent tests, Sprint was faster than Verizon, probably because Verizon's network is more crowded. Both have a variety of PDA/phones that connect to their networks. Sprint charges less for PDA/phone usage and offers more flexible terms, including the ability to use a PDA/phone as a modem for a laptop. Both have downloadable music stores that work with certain phones; Verizon's store is cheaper and integrates better with PC music libraries. And both networks send streaming video and TV to phones; Sprint offers a better selection of channels.

Our current picks for PC Cards are Sprint's Novatel S620 and Verizon's Kyocera KPC650. For EV-DO handhelds, we prefer Sprint's PPC-6700 and Verizon's Blackberry 7130e >, the only Verizon EV-DO handheld you're allowed to use as a laptop modem.

Right now, Cingular's network is only just getting started. Its HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) system is promising; when fully up and running, it should have the same downlink speeds as EV-DO, with better (384 Kbps) uplink speeds and the possibility for international roaming onto many foreign networks. But for now, Cingular's network is somewhat spotty, only in 16 American cities, and slower than EV-DO in our tests, and it only works with laptops, not phones. That will change, thoughâ€"phones are coming in February. More cities, better performance, and high-speed international roaming may appear in April.

Cingular charges the same as Verizon and Sprint for unlimited data use. Our pick for a Cingular PC Card is the Sierra Wireless Aircard 860, though the Novatel U730 is also a good card.

What of T-Mobile? T-Mobile is not turning on a true high-speed network until 2007, but expect to see a better merger of its cellular and Wi-Fi networks this year, including phones that can make voice calls through Wi-Fi hotspots. We saw what may be the first one of those phones, the Samsung t709 at the recent CES trade show.

The cellular carriers don't intend their networks to be used as home hookups--heavy, 24-hour access would overload their systems. They will also cut off your service if they catch you sharing your network. But that hasn't stopped Kyocera and a smaller company called Junxion from building cellular-to-Wi-Fi routers, so you can use EV-DO to outfit mobile offices and homes where cable and DSL aren't available.

High-speed wireless commands a premium price in the U.S., but if you spend a lot of time on the road, it can be worth it. Competition will increase in 2006â€"we expect to see new data plans from new carriers Helio and Amp'dâ€"so hopefully, prices will come down. (Unlimited EV-DO usage in Japan only costs $40 a month.) And the freedom of connecting any time, anywhere, at broadband speeds? Well, that's the true thrill.