3G

How about making iPhone calls on your own personal cell tower? AT&T has test launched its femtocell solution for individual users, dubbed the MicroCell. This device is compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

MicroCell data speeds will be slower than the 7.2 Mbps the iPhone 3GS is capable of delivering, however they will achieve 3.2 Mbps, matching standard 3G speeds. The device allows users to make calls and send text messages using a 5,000 square foot local 3G network.

With the MMS debacle ongoing, iPhone users are desperately looking for reasons to like AT&T. The company has started its 850MHz spectrum upgrade, which should improve signal strength in buildings and overall quality.

iPhone users in some urban areas are already reporting improved 3G reception and performance. AT&T has confirmed upgrades in Atlanta, Las Vegas, San Diego, Fresno and Stockton CA. Atlanta, for example, is in the process of getting 540 new 850 MHz cell sites next to the existing 1900 MHz towers.

The AT&T network is about to get faster. Twice as fast as current 3G speeds, using HSPA 7.2 3G wireless technology. This in-progress upgrade to the AT&T network will make speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps possible later this year.

Apple has reportedly designed the next generation iPhone 3.0 to take advantage of these network upgrades when it is released this summer, making the new device twice as fast as current models. LTE technology, otherwise known as 4G, is in the works for future upgrades at AT&T but won't be widely available until 2011.

AT&T, the exclusive carrier for Apple's iPhone, is currently field testing base station software upgrades that will double the speed of its 3G network. The upgrades should increase speeds over high-speed packet access (HSPA) to 7.2 megabits per second (Mbps), up from the current 3.6 Mbps.

The company is also upgrading its network backbone to accommodate increasing data traffic. The release of a new iPhone model in June is expected to generate ten times the current demands on bandwidth.

Interested in your own personal cell tower? AT&T is poised to release its femtocell solution for individual users, dubbed the MicroCell. iPhone users rejoice, you have not been forgotten. iTunes has started delivering a carrier update that will support the use of 3G iPhones with the MicroCell device.

Carrier updates are files that include settings which tell the iPhone how to connect to the cellular network and where to look for data such as maps, stocks, and weather. The AT&T MicroCell will require a broadband Internet connection, GPS reception, and will provide support for up to ten 3G mobile devices (even if they're not iPhones).