There were previously two different types of 2G technology. It'll load your content just as you're thinking of quitting or refreshing the page. I'd say 512Kbps is probably on par with your "slow hotel Wi-Fi" kinda feel. Loading pictures and video content will take longer. Text-based communication like emails and messages will work best. It's fine for some light social media, web browsing, and even music streaming. Picture messages sent and received, music streaming started just a few seconds after hitting play, and even when playing a YouTube video it only took 16.9 seconds for the video to start playing.ĥ12Kbps is by no means fast, but it still very much gets the job done. Still, despite taking longer to load, 512Kbps handled everything no problem.
Loading a picture email, for example, went from taking only 2.8 seconds on LTE to taking a full 18.3 seconds at 512Kbps.
Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile similarly cap their hotspot speeds at 600Kbps.Īt the 512Kbps data speed cap, we started to notice a few of the tasks take a little bit longer. T-Mobile, for example, caps the hotspot speeds of their Unlimited Essentials plan at 3G speeds, and many users claim to get around 512Kbps down and up. The theoretical maximum performance of a 3G network is technically up to 3.1Mbps, but many carriers still consider around 512Kbps to be 3G speeds. You can stream music, watch YouTube videos, browse the web, and enjoy all forms of social media. LTE handles all cellular data needs no problem. Even with getting slower speeds of around 8Mbps down and only. LTE Speeds (8Mbps)įull LTE data speeds passed all the tests with flying colors. Or, if you'd like the TL DR, here are my findings. Watch the video linked at the top of the article to see a side-by-side comparison of all of the speeds performing these different tests! Receiving an email with a photo attached.
Having unlimited 2G data also prompts a lot of questions. How fast is this 2G data? What can I use it for? Carriers allow these basic features to work by giving users unlimited 2G data instead of shutting off their data completely. Group and picture messaging, visual voicemail, and VoLTE all rely on having a cellular data connection to work properly. Carriers such as Tello, Mint Mobile, Ultra Mobile, Google Fi, and many more all include unlimited 2G data with their plans.Ĭarriers do this is because cellular data is required for certain features to work. This is a common practice across the industry. This is instead of shutting off your data completely. Many carriers will slow your speeds down to 2G speeds after you consume your high-speed data allotment. But how fast is 2G data? What can it be used for? And why do carriers include it in the first place? Why most plans have unlimited 2G data after you hit your high-speed data limit Many prepaid cell phone plans include unlimited 2G data after you hit your high-speed data allotment.