PCWorld recently comission the company Novarum to run a nationwide 3G wireless broadband test. The reality is that service is not consistent from location to location, and even when you have a full signal there are other aspects that effect performance.

I highly recommend the read, there are a number of good tidbits in there that will help educate you about the 3G service. The reader’s digest version is that AT&T trailed the pack by a wide margin, obtaining a nationwide reliability level of only 68%, compared to about 90% from both Verizon and Sprint.

Most East Coasters will find that Verizon leads in speed, except in Boston where AT&T shines, and the same is true for the Central USA. When you get out to the West Coast, Sprint leads the pack in performance, with Verizon trailing fairly close. AT&T at least seems to have very good upload speeds, but with reliability ratings in the 60-70% range across the nation, does that really redeem them? No wonder they had to buy access to the iPhone.

Source: [PCWorld]