It seems like just a few months ago everyone was screaming for 3G. Our 3G Coverage Comparison Page is still one of our most popular. Now we all want 4G, and the carriers are doing their best to provide it...at a nice increase in price. Where does that leave all that 3G coverage?
The carriers have found a robust wholesale market for all that 'excess' coverage, providing service to Straight Talk, Page Plus, SIMple Mobile and a host of other cellular re-sellers or MVNO's. I read each day about the fears in forums that Straight Talk and the like just might become too popular, and the major carriers will throttle them back from their Unlimited Talk & Data. In some areas that may be the case, but in the Big Picture, these carriers are trying real hard to move us up to 4G, which, for the most part, is on a separate network, different spectrum, or, at least, separate channels. That means they are also freeing up all that 3G capacity they have been building.
The Big 4 will not admit they have a surplus of anything while they are pleading with the Feds to provide more spectrum. Truly, most of us are demanding more and more bandwidth through our phone, but that also leaves a gap for those of us whose needs are bit more modest. 3G is good for me...for now...and there are a lot of us who will benefit from everyone else moving up. 5G (or LTE+, or whatever is next) is coming and my current phone can already access 4G, I'm just waiting for everyone else to move out of my way.
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