Gizmodo ranked 3G networks in 12 cities.

Shortly after we nominated AT&T's wireless network for a Flashie award in the category of "Tech Debacle of the Year", we heard from a spokeswoman for the wireless carrier who indirectly questioned the nomination. Her argument pointed to this week's report by Gizmodo, which found that AT&T had the fastest 3G network in the country.

Yep, you read that right. The much maligned network -- which earlier this year ranked last in the west in the J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Call Quality Performance Study -- came out on top with a 12-city national average download speed of more than 1 Mbps.

So, was our AT&T nomination a mistake? We don't think so. And here's why. As Gizmodo editor Wilson Rothman writes, their study only looked at 3G download and upload speeds from the major carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon). That means dropped calls, coverage areas and customer service were not tested.

A fast network is great ... when you can get a connection. And, don't forget the importance of being able to make a three minute phone call without being cut off.

Furthermore, in Seattle (one of the 12 cities where Gizmodo conducted their tests) the AT&T network ranked third in terms of download speeds behind Verizon and T-Mobile.

That said, AT&T did rank faster than the other three carriers in six of the 12 cities where Gizmodo editors performed tests. It also was the fastest in terms of upload speeds in every market. (Gizmodo notes that download speeds are more important to consumers and carriers).

In Seattle, Gizmodo conducted its tests at five locations: Northgate Mall, Ravenna, Montlake Ale House, Redmond and Columbia City.

Interestingly, the AT&T network was slower in Seattle than most of the other major cities where tests occurred. Many of those cities -- Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, LA and New York -- showed download speeds above 1.5 Mbps.

However, even though Seattle's AT&T network was near the bottom of the the city rankings, there was a little good news. At least we don't live in Portland.

AT&T customers there had the worst 3G download speeds.

Oh yeah, and speaking of the "Tech Debacle of the Year." In ongoing voting, with more than 730 votes cast to date, AT&T is just ahead of the T-Mobile Sidekick data loss and Microsoft's Windows Mobile problems.

Gizmodo's raw data for Seattle

John Cook is co-founder of TechFlash. Follow on Twitter @johnhcook.