Articles about 4G LTE

The Computer Electronics Show gathers a significant number of companies and prospective buyers alike in Las Vegas for four days starting Tuesday. However, many companies didn't wait for opening day. Which among the early birds stand out from the others?

From the plethora of pre-show announcements most are oriented towards general consumer appliances. For instance, LG's presentation emphasized 39 new driers and 72 new fridges, among super expensive OLED TVs. For a passionate technology enthusiast like myself CES is not Heaven, it's utter Hell. Still, within the literally hundreds of announcements there are some exciting products unveiled in all the pre-show madness.

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Here's another reason for me to gripe that Google Nexus 4 isn't LTE, despite colleague Mihaita Bamburic insisting it doesn't matter: Strategy analytics predicts that LTE smartphone shipments will reach 275 million units next year. That's triple the number shipped in 2012.

"It is clear that 2013 will be the year of 4G", Neil Mawston, the firm's executive director, says. Still, based on combined analyst forecasts, LTE would only account for about one-quarter of all smartphones shipped.

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In its continued evolution and growth, the United States' third-largest wireless network operator Sprint announced on Monday that it will be acquiring wireless network Clearwire for a total of $2.2 billion, or $2.97 per outstanding share.

Sprint has had a long relationship with Clearwire, as the two companies were the biggest supporters of the WiMax wireless protocol. Soon after launching their respective first WiMax networks, Sprint and Clearwire joined forces in 2008.

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There is a heated discussion surrounding the lack of LTE on the Google Nexus 4 -- my college Joe Wilcox deems it problematic, while I'm far less affected on the other side of the pond. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Fast data speeds are not out of this world on the Nexus 4 with LTE found working on Roger and Telus in Canada.

The Nexus 4 is similar to the LG Optimus G in the hardware department, but while the latter has a full-blown setup the former can only connect to LTE on Band 4. This limits the number of carrier networks that the Google-branded smartphone can utilize to achieve the higher data speeds. Rogers and Telus customers are apparently "blessed" by the recent discovery, as both can take advantage of LTE with only a few minor modifications. The bad news is that the hidden feature may be useless on other carriers that do not use the mentioned band.

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Starting today the HTC DROID DNA is available for purchase at Verizon Wireless. On a two-year contract the J butterfly's US brother runs for $199.99, while off-contract it costs a marginally higher $599.99.

Like the J butterfly, the DROID DNA comes with a massive 5-inch Super LCD3 display with 1920-by-1080 resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for protection. Power comes from a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor backed by 2GB of RAM and a relatively small 2020mAh non-removable battery. Unlike the J Butterfly, the big red version has to make due with just 16GB of internal storage as it does not feature a microSD card slot.

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Almost a month ago Everything Everywhere announced that it will deploy 4G LTE over its existing 1800MHz spectrum, starting October 30. Today, the United Kingdom-based carrier launched both faster data services and fiber for its local customers.

EE is the first UK carrier that is allowed to offer 4G LTE, after it previously received the license from local communications regulator Ofcom. It was initially announced that the fast data services will be deployed to 10 major cities across the United Kingdom, but today the carrier upped the number by one. Fiber broadband will also be available to 11 million premises, with touted speeds up to 76 Mbps. Also launched today are 700 EE-branded stores.

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We consumers may still have to rely on mind-bendingly slow in-flight internet connections when we travel, but Swedish wireless communications infrastructure company Ericsson has successfully tested LTE tower connections in a jet traveling 700kph.

Using a low-flying Saab SK60 training jet, Ericsson engineers tested how the Doppler effect would interfere with a standard LTE connection moving at an extremely high rate of speed. While flying at over 600km/h between Linköping and Västervik Sweden, Ericsson's equipment managed a seamless handover from one radio base station to the next while streaming video. The video stream was reportedly uninterrupted.

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Before the public unveiling of Windows Phone 8, Nokia on Monday introduced the Lumia 822 smartphone. Sporting the latest mobile operating system from Microsoft, the Lumia 822 will be exclusively available at Verizon Wireless.

The Nokia Lumia 822 will feature 4G LTE connectivity with up to 100Mbps download and 50Mbps upload speeds. It has a 4.3-inch display with an 800 by 480 resolution, and a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB of RAM. On top of the 16GB of internal storage, the Lumia 822 comes with a microSD card slot which can offer up to 64GB of extra storage. As it usually happens with high-end Nokia devices, a Carl Zeiss lens is onboard for the dual-LED 8 megapixel back-facing camera which is capable of 1080p video recording at 30 frames per second. On the front, there is a 1.2MP HD camera that can shoot 720p video.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note II launched barely two months ago at IFA and local US carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile already make it available for purchase. Verizon is now in the same boat and is accepting pre-orders for the 5.5-inch "phablet."

The Samsung Galaxy Note II will arrive at the big red sporting 4G LTE connectivity and similar specs to the international model. That means the same 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a 1280 by 720 resolution, 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz running on top of it. On a two-year contract it will cost $299.99 at Verizon Wireless, and is currently available for pre-order in both Marble White and Titanium Gray.

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Motorola announced the new Droid Razr family of smartphones more than a month ago, and today the 4G LTE-ready Droid Razr HD, Droid Razr Maxx HD, and Droid Razr M are available for purchase at Verizon Wireless.

The cheapest of the bunch is the entry-level 4.3-inch Droid Razr M that comes in two colors, white and black, and will set back customers of the big red $99 on a two-year contract. The 4.7-inch Droid Razr HD is also available in the same palette, and runs for $100 more at $199. The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD is also the most expensive of the three, but comes with the biggest battery, costing a whopping $299 on a two-year contract and is only available in black.

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Yesterday my colleague Joe Wilcox wrote "AT&T starts LG Optimus G preorders Oct. 16, sales Nov. 2," but today Sprint announced that the LG-made quad-core power-house is coming its way, just like the controversial Samsung Galaxy Note II "phablet".

Unlike the AT&T variant the LG Optimus G will come with a 13MP camera, instead of the 8MP shooter announced yesterday, and it will be available for pre-order from November 1, with sales to start on November 11. On a two-year contract the Qualcomm-powered smartphone will cost $199. Also announced is the Samsung Galaxy Note II, that will be available for purchase on October 25 for $299.99 with a two-year contract.

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Four days ago Sprint Nextel Corporation confirmed acquisition talks with Japan's third-largest carrier, Softbank Corp, with unspecified details surrounding the transaction at the time. Today the operator from the land of the rising sun announced that it will invest $20.1 billion in Sprint, $12.1 billion of which will give SoftBank a dominant stake of 70 percent in the US carrier.

The two operators expect the transaction to close, pending approval of Sprint's shareholders, the Federal Communications Commission and other regulatory agencies, in the second half of 2013. Combined the two carriers will rank as the third largest operator worldwide according to the press release, a strong position that favors both parties. The Japan-based carrier will provide Sprint $8 billion from the total amount for its balance sheet, mobile network and strategic investments.

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United States wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corporation could be an acquisition target for Japan's third-largest mobile carrier Softbank Corp, the U.S. wireless carrier confirmed on Thursday. Sprint has publicly acknowledged that the two companies are "in discussions" over a SoftBank investment, but the exact nature of this investment has not been clarified.

The competitive landscape of wireless networks in the United States is a difficult one, especially with the high cost of building 4G network infrastructure versus the general scarcity of wireless spectrum licenses. The dominant spectrum holders are the two networks with the most subscribers: Verizon Wireless and AT&T. To compete, the smaller national carriers have to look for new growth opportunities.

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The official launch of Windows 8 is just around the corner, and so is the holiday shopping season, the high point in consumer spending for the year. What better way for AT&T to capitalize on both events than to offer two exclusive Windows 8-based tablets?

AT&T looks to be covering both important Windows bases (RT and Pro) with its selections: the Windows RT-based ASUS VivoTab RT, and the Windows 8 Pro-based Samsung ATIV Smart PC. Both devices will have mobile connectivity via AT&T's 4G network.

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Six weeks ago, United Kingdom communications regulator Ofcom granted Everything Everywhere the right to roll out 4G LTE over its existent 1800MHz wireless spectrum. Starting October 30, the new brand along with its 4G LTE services will launch in the UK market.

The carrier will deploy 4G LTE in 10 cities, a number increasing by six before the end of the year, which equates to one-third of the UK population. Everything Everywhere also revealed a longer-term plan to reach 98 percent coverage by 2014.

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