If it says it in the name it should have it right? Unfortunately this is not the case when it comes to carrier coverage and especially not the case for At&t’s iPhone 3G. While the hype of the next generation iPhone is centered around improved GPS and high speed data, not as many US subscribers will actually be able to benefit from the upgraded device. In the map below you can see the current At&t 3G footprint in Blue, EDGE data in Dark Orange, GPRS in Light Orange, and partner GPRS in Banded Light Orange. It is pretty clear that At&t’s 3G network only covers 5% of the country and at least 5 states do not even offer any 3G data services (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming).
- Blue = 3G
- Dark Orange = EDGE
- Light Oranage = GPRS
- Banded, Light Orange = Partner GPRS
With the additional cost of iPhone 3G data plans (regardless of whether 3G data is offered in your area), is it worth paying an extra $10/month for a feature you can’t use and one of the biggest selling points of the new iPhone? If you have a current generation iPhone and 3G data services are not offered in your area there is absolutely no reason to upgrade so you can give At&t an extra $10/month when the 2.0 Software Update will used on all iPhones, enabling the AppStore for 3rd party software and the same features as the iPhone 3G.
[Via: GearDiary]