A new report from Joseph Brown says that Apple is intentionally
throttling the data speeds of its iPhones and iPads for carriers.

Brown is the developer behind the Hacked Carrier Updates for AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

Delving
into the carrier settings that Apple provides for each individual
carrier, Brown found that for AT&T Apple has limited the iPhone 5 to
Category 10 (14.4Mbps) HSDPA, even though the network is capable of
Category 14 (21.1Mbps) HSDPA+ and the iPhone 5 supports up to category
24 (42.2Mbps) DC-HSDPA+. In addition, the network settings file also
defines throttling parameters.




There
is no arguing or disputing that this is clear evidence you are
purposely, 24/7, being throttled, even if you haven't used more data
than your authorized to use or that you've purchased with your hard
earned money.

In his report, Brown also details similar
throttling parameters that can be found in the carrier settings file for
Verizon and Sprint. According to his findings, only T-Mobile doesn't
specify throttling settings.

Findings:
- AT&T limits HSPA+ and permanently throttles LTE (unless hack is applied)
- Verizon permanently throttles LTE (unless hack is applied)
- Verizon and Sprint throttle down 3G (unless hack is applied)
-
Apple has band preferences set for T-Mobile and AT&T causing signal
issues (very much fixable by Apple and the carrier and is currently
being looked into, from I've been told)

Ideally, Apple would lift
these restrictions but for now users can install one of the hacked
carrier updates which depending on your area may offer significant speed
improvements.

When we asked Brown if he was sure the throttled
network settings weren't only there for users who'd exceeded their
limits, he said, "I'm very positive. I've heard of "network controls" or
"soft throttles" being put into place on devices before." Of course,
these throttles aren't like the debilitating ones that users may
experience when going over their data usage limit; rather, they are
designed to "even out" the network.

"The iPhone 5 I tested the
other day was brand new. No LTE data used, so it wasn't being
throttled," Brown told iClarified. "The 1st test was 13mbps down and
9mbps up. The 2nd was 17mbps (almost 18) down and 11mbps up." He notes
that the test "was conducted around the same time frame and in the exact
same spot of the house."

Let us know in the comments if you
experienced a disparity between your network speeds on an Apple device
versus another brand of smartphone. Or, if you've installed a hacked
carrier update, did you notice an improvement?

Read More

Verizon LTE:


Verizon & Sprint 3G:


AT&T and T-Mobile