Existing users, 
Carriers Artificially Throttling iPhone 3G Speeds?
Posted 25 August 2008 @ 7am in News
Reports out of France indicate that Orange, the iPhone’s officially sanctioned carrier there, may be artificially bridling the device’s network throughput, forcing it to use slower 3G data rates where significantly faster 3G+ data rates are available.
iPhone users in France have reported download speeds between 350 and 450 kbps typical of 3G, but slower than generally offered by 3G+/HSDPA. The iPhone’s hardware expressly sports full HSDPA capabilities, and Orange’s network is advertised as HSDPA compatible, meaning that users should experience speeds that are between three and six times higher. The iPhone 3G is capable of attaining these higher speeds when linked to networks other than Orange, such as SFR in France and various other European providers.
Most interesting, an iPhone Atlas reader purports that some users have achieved the higher data rates with Orange thanks to a software-based change enacted by customer service representatives.
Thomas Burgel writes:
“A very few lucky iPhone users could get their Orange subscription unlocked by Orange technicians: much higher downloading speeds are, technically, possible on Orange’s network.”
Burgel also shares the anecdote of an Orange customer who allegedly received some spurious information followed by an odd denial from company representatives:
“An Orange representative unofficially got in touch with one of forum members. He first acknowledged a technical problem on Orange side, and said they were working on it. Unsatisfied with this response, the forum went on speculating. Now, the most interesting part of this story : the same rep got in touch again with the same forum member, and changed his version of the facts, clearly blaming Apple for these downloading speeds. Yes, Orange can settle the problem on his side, but this would require a modification on the device side that Apple wouldn’t accept.”
Meanwhile, screnshots showing the discrpancy between a throttled and allegedly full-speed iPhone 3G on Orange’s network have surfaced:
Throttled:
Full-speed:
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5 Comments
Posted by jameskatt
25 August 2008 @ 12pm
This supports - as more evidence comes in - that the problem with 3G download speeds on the iPhone is the network. And the carriers are the ones who run the network.
I wonder if AT&T in the U.S. is doing this as well.
AT&T is the one artificially limiting the ability of the iPhone from sending MMS messages - not Apple. Software for sending MMS messages on the iPhone exist. But it doesn’t work with AT&T since it notes if you are using an iPhone and limits access to its MMS servers from your iPhone.
Thus, it makes it suspicious when a Nokia can access 3G at full speed but an iPhone can’t - particularly in the cities, particularly when rural speeds are at full speed.
Posted by otomato
25 August 2008 @ 2pm
Orange France just OFFICIALLY aknowledged its limitation (see : http://www.france-info.com/spip.php?article177369&theme=34&sous_theme=35)
Good point for French customers.
Bad point for French customers? They also declared that every iPhone 3G user would reach download speeds “up to 1MB” on the 15th september.
1MB. This is ridiculous.
And far from what they promised…
Posted by peterpayne
25 August 2008 @ 7pm
By the way, the Softbank people told me up front that certain applications like map would/could be throttled. So depending on the application, this may be the cast.
Posted by dmjossel
25 August 2008 @ 9pm
News flash:
Many 3G operators have insufficient backhaul.
The iPhone, a handset shown to inspire users to consume more Internet bandwidth, exposes this vulnerability. Some operators may respond by throttling either the device as a class of clients, or individual base stations.
Posted by John Sawyer
28 August 2008 @ 5pm
This is a problem both with the network providers, AND Apple.
As the article states: “Orange can settle the problem on [its] side, but this would require a modification on the device side that Apple wouldn’t accept.”
As the article also states, some Orange customers have been told how to make this modification on their iPhone. But so far, it hasn’t become official Orange policy to tell all its customers how to make this modification. Apple wouldn’t be happy.
The question is, what is this modification that Apple doesn’t want, that allows the iPhone’s 3G data rate to work at full speed? Does this imply Apple has some other approach in mind that will address this issue, or some other timeframe?