Have tested an iPad 2 on T-Mobile PAYG Mobile Broadband vs. an iPhone 4s on a contract plan in exactly the same location using the same server on the Speedtest App.

The iPad was able to achieve 4.5Mbps consistently whereas the iPhone topped out at 1.85Mbps every time. The graph for the iPhone is suspiciously flat suggesting it is being artificially capped.

Now nothing in my documentation suggests a cap on my T-Mobile download speed. The 4s is supposed to be capable of 14.4Mbps after all so it seems wrong that T-Mobile should hobble what is their premium phone offering.

Does anyone have definitive info regarding a possible speed cap on T-Mobile iPhone contracts, and whether it can be lifted?

Yes, they do cap you at 1.85mbs. I even contacted the CEO of EE and his staff got back to me. They spent 2 weeks investigating this 'cap' and the conclusion was that there wasn't one.

Because they couldn't work out why it was being capped at 1.85mbs, they sent me a replacement Desire. Of course the cap remained because there was nothing wrong with the phone. At least I got a new unscratched phone though. Stupid bastards. Can't wait until my contract ends in April.

Here is my speedtest history:

"2011-11-02 21:55","Hsdpa","1466,582,138,"
"2011-10-23 21:03","Hsdpa",1894,451,119,"Morecambe",
"2011-09-30 12:03","Hsdpa",1916,457,100,"Milano",
"2011-09-23 12:19","Hsdpa",1911,453,83,"Ulm"
"2011-09-23 12:14","Hsdpa",1933,440,120,"Morecambe","
"2011-09-23 12:13","Hsdpa",838,439,249,"Aberdeen",
"2011-09-23 12:13","Hsdpa"1914,422,821,"Aberdeen",
"2011-09-23 12:12","Hsdpa",1924,438,119,"Manchester",
"2011-09-13 17:18","Hsdpa",1378,389,101,"Manchester",
"2011-08-13 14:22","Umts",,1893,441,866,"Newbury",
"2011-08-12 00:22","Hsdpa",1806,436,101,"Newbury",
"2011-07-30 13:07","Hsdpa",1614,420,137,"Newbury",
"2011-07-27 23:02","Hsdpa",867,256,681,"Newbury",
"2011-07-27 23:01","Umts",1599,453,657,"Newbury",
"2011-07-27 22:57","Umts",1463,456,740,"Manchester",
"2011-07-27 16:38","Hsdpa",1109,441,178,"Manchester",
"2011-07-19 13:26","Hsdpa"1916,405,948,"Manchester",
"2011-07-19 13:25","Hsdpa",1917,434,131,"Morecambe",
"2011-07-19 01:49","Hsdpa",1890,180,123,"Morecambe",
"2011-07-11 11:20","Hsdpa",1889,454,156,"Aberdeen",
"2011-07-02 21:09","Hsdpa",1912,457,124,"Morecambe",
"2011-06-29 17:30","Hsdpa",1746,467,115,"Morecambe",
"2011-06-25 15:47","Hsdpa",1894,462,119,"Aberdeen",
"2011-06-25 12:52","Hsdpa",545,371,151,"Aberdeen",
"2011-06-24 11:41","Hsdpa",1929,287,248,"Aberdeen",
"2011-06-24 11:36","Hsdpa",21,331,272,"Aberdeen",
"2011-06-24 11:16","Hsdpa",928,443,109,"Morecambe",
"2011-06-23 19:59","Hsdpa",1871,465,105,"Morecambe",
"2011-06-23 16:02","Hsdpa",1506,434,855,"Morecambe",
"2011-06-23 15:19","Hsdpa",1655,451,91,"Morecambe",
"2011-06-23 15:18","Hsdpa",1918,467,136,"Morecambe"
"2011-06-23 15:18","Hsdpa",570,451,133,"Morecambe",
"2011-06-21 13:55","Hsdpa",354,80,145,"Morecambe"
"2011-06-16 14:49","Hsdpa",358,84,124,"Morecambe",

As you can see, it has never gone above 1.9MBs (any my pings are ridiculously high which is probably their joke of a network). The thing that pisses me off is that there was no cap when I started the contract, but they sneakily put me on anyway. And then they don't even admit to it.

Orange do it too. Pretty ridiculous. My iPad with the same sim card gets 3-5mb yet stick it in my iPhone 4S and i get nothing more than 2mb. Orange say it's because iPad uses a different route for data and the iPhone route is just congested but i've tried it at 4am and its still <2mb.

That seems strange. My iPhone(as do my mothers and brothers) on Orange can get speeds of around 5mb in some places. In fact the speedtest I done this evening I got over 4mb!

Same SIM card, same network, etc. they're just coming up with BS. No way do they use "different routes" for data, thats just their way of saying "we haven't got a frakkin' clue, sorry".

Sounds like they are capping by device type and someone has decided that iPads merit more bandwidth than phones.

It is possible they use different routes. Most networks use different APNs for iPhone and iPad connections. Each APN routes its own way and has its own traffic shaping profile and speed restrictions.

As the iPad is supposed to be more like a netbook replacement, it connects at a faster speed. The iPhone is smaller and intended for out and about casual browsing where 1.85Meg should be more than sufficient hence the lower speed.

This has been proven in other posts where the iPhone tethering APN is different again, allowing a faster connection to tethered devices. Out of interest try tethering your iPad to your iPhone and trying a speediest again - My money is on a faster speed then you get on your iPhone itself.

the difference is they allow mobile broadband accounts to go faster than normal sim cards.

Used to work for t-mobile up until a few months ago and we were always told normal sims will only ever get to 1.8meg and mobile broadband sims could potentially get to 7meg but realistically get around 4-5meg.

obviously i dont mean its the sim card but the type of account those sims are connected to.

to check though you could swap the sims and see if the results are reversed

The Lord Lucan was suggesting that swapping SIM cards between the iPhone and iPad did not increase the speed available on the iPhone meaning that it wasn't based on account type.

As for restricting iPhones to 1.85Mbps is T-mobile admitting that they don't sell a package that supports the phones capabilities? I.e. 14.5 Mbps.

Orange do use a APN for Data/iPad/Tethered iPhone & one separate for iPhone on it's own. They have admitted it's not account specific.

Thanks for the info. So they (Everything Everywhere) ARE deliberately hobbling iPhones specifically to <2Mbps.

Can the APN for the iPad be entered manually into an iPhone?

Get a tethering bundle put on your account like `i did. I now get up to 7meg.

How much does that cost extra per month?

I don't know whats going on then, because my iPhone 4S almost always gets speeds over 2mb! Untethered and just on 3G aswell. Heres a few speedtests the last few days, all on standard 3G.

http://twitpic.com/7ahb5v

Did you buy your 4s SIM free and keep a legacy contract? It may still be using the old APN.

Wish I'd kept my legacy W+W contract now as my Nokia N900 had speeds in excess of 2Mbps.

No i'm on Orange, it's a new contract with the 4S locked to Orange. So it's not the whole of Everything Everywhere that do cap it IMO, only T-Mobile.

Getting a tethering bundle on T-Mobile might work, doesn't on Orange unfortunately.

That is interesting... I can replicate the capping with my other halfs contract iPhone 4, not just mine. Tried this in central London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham and Aberdeen... all recently and in the morning. They all top out at 1.8 ish.



It can be on T-Mobile i do believe but not on Orange that whole menu is missing... not that i even know the APN for the iPad.

I have a iPhone 4s and recently switched to T mobile from 3 and I complained about the speed cap so they put me n the Internet extra booster which gives larger allowance of 1GB plus fully uncapped speeds. Now get over 4mb. Suppose to be an extra 5 pounds per month but they have give it to me free for life of contract they did the same when I complained about being charged for voicemail.

Your very lucky. I had to pay £8.50pm+ vat to get 1gb tethering and uncapped speeds. I am on a sim only business tariff though. With the capping removed t-mobile rocks.