Verizon 3G Speeding Up This Fall

Good news for laptop users on the go: Verizon's 3G EV-DO service will be getting an upgrade in a few months ("later this summer or early fall," according to Om Malik).

How much of an upgrade? 1.8Mbps uploads and 3.1Mbps downloads... theoretically. Verizon's current EV-DO system (BroadbandAccess) claims maximum throughput of 2Mbps with "average download speeds of 400-700kbps," though Malik notes that 200kbps is about standard in the real world. In my own tests, I've seen throughput rates range from a typical 300 to 500kbps to the occasional burst of 2.5Mbps, faster than Verizon claims is possible. Either way, if we do the math on Verizon's claims, that could mean a good 50 percent jump in performance.

No word on where the first upgrades might take place, but you won't need a hardware upgrade to get the speed boost. Some PC Cards allow for firmware upgrades (check in your VZAccess software), and it's a good idea to run an upgrade around the time that the higher speed network rolls out.