4G

AT&T’s LTE is the fastest, Verizon rules coverage

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 20, 2013

Aren't you sick and tired of top U.S. carriers advertising their 4G LTE service as the nation's fastest and most reliable? This mostly false advertising has been ticking me off for quite some time, especially how T-Mobile promotes its 3G HSPA+ network as 4G. Time for a reality check.

Research firm Rootmetrics yesterday published the results of its survey of U.S. carriers and their fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Surprisingly or not, AT&T's LTE came on top as the fastest, but rival Verizon grabbed the title of the nation's best LTE coverage. More tidbits right after the break..

AT&T LTE expands, Wi-Fi network growth doubles

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 26, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_729aD7CfA0

U.S. carrier AT&T announced an expansion of its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology in Tunica, Mississippi; Athens and McMinn County; and LaFollette and Campbell County. The company has also flipped the switch on 4G in Tallahassee, Florida; Lawrence, Kansas; and the Salinas and Monterey areas. AT&T says its 4G network covers more than 285 million people and includes 3,000 more 4G cities and towns than Verizon. Letting us in on the latest on its network expansion, the telco underscored its Wi-Fi network doubled in 2012 versus the year-ago period...

Qualcomm’s new wireless chip makes a truly global iPhone possible

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2013

Doesn't it bother you that Apple sells its LTE devices like the iPhone 5 and latest iPads in a bunch of variants, depending on your carrier and geographical location? For example, the iPhone comes in two GSM models and one CDMA version. Blame it on the limitations with existing wireless chipsets, not Apple. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a fantastic technology, but it's also highly fragmented.

And with nearly fifty different cellular bands in use globally worldwide, no wonder LTE is a bag of hurt, one that has introduced fragmentation unlike any other cellular radio technology before it.

Fortunately, chip maker Qualcomm has announced a new cellular solution which supports as much as 40 different bands on a single chip. It could finally allow Apple to build a truly global iPhone model that could support all implementations of the major cellular technologies used by carriers the world over...

AT&T’s LTE expands in Denver, Boise, Nassau and Suffolk counties, now available in Gainesville

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 19, 2013

U.S. carrier AT&T Tuesday announced that it is expanding its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology in Denver, Boise, Nassau and Suffolk counties while making it available in Gainesville. The carrier continues to poor billions in network expansion as it races rival Verizon Wireless for LTE coverage. According to AT&T, its 4G LTE currently covers 288 million people in the United States...

Sprint starts deploying LTE in San Francisco

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2013

Sprint's implementation of the fourth-generation Long Term Evolution radio technology has been spotted being deployed in certain parts of San Francisco, New York City and Washington, D.C., all major metropolitan markets. Apple added an additional 36 LTE carriers with the January 28 release of the iOS 6.1 software for iPhones, iPads and iPods.

Sprint on its part during January 2012 lit up LTE towers in 58 markets (here and here). This is a notable improvement because previously only those in neighborhoods in San Francisco could see Sprint's LTE signal, although coverage in San Francisco is spotty because Sprint has just begun deployment...

FreedomPop confirms LTE iPad clip, launches in H2 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 7, 2013

Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom-backed FreedomPop startup made waves with its Freedom Hub Burst no-contract wireless appliance that serves one gigabyte of free 4G data each month to up to 10 wireless or wired devices simultaneously.

Monday, Forbes reported that FreedomPop could unveil an iPad sleeve with 4G data via Sprint’s LTE network. A new report out today sheds more light on the matter: a FreedomPop LTE clip compatible with iPads is indeed due in the second half of this year. We've got more tidbits right after the break...

Bureaucracy preventing French from getting LTE on their iDevices until year’s end

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 4, 2013

Owners of LTE-enabled Apple devices in France won't get to enjoy the benefits of speedy cellular downloads before the end of 2013 amid lobbying between the country's wireless carriers and the agency for telecommunications ARCEP.

The country's local carriers like Orange and SFR last year spent to the tune of €1.2 billion, or approximately $1.6 billion, to acquire the 800MHz band.

The problem is, this radio frequency is supported neither by the iPhone 5 nor by many mobile devices from other vendors, including Samsung. Moreover, these carriers are now asking the ARCEP to wait until at least end of 2013 before refarming the 1,800MHz spectrum, which is compatible with Apple's handset...

Sprint LTE coming to Boston, Fort Wayne, western Puerto Rico and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prEPa7bLDdY

Having already announced earlier this month a massive roll-out of its 4G LTE to 28 new markets, including Branson, Missouri and Columbus, Georgia, Sprint this morning has confirmed that its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution radio technology is coming to Boston, Austin and half a dozen other markets. The nation's third-largest carrier should also start offering its Total Equipment Protection (TEP) insurance to iPhone customers later this month...

Apple expanding LTE support to 36 new carriers next week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

During Apple's quarterly earnings call yesterday, Tim Cook announced that Apple would be adding 36 additional carriers to the list of compatible LTE providers for its iPhones and iPads next week.

The good news is, Cook says these carriers will be in countries that are not currently supporting LTE. So for those of you who have a 4G iPhone or iPad and don't currently get LTE, be on the lookout...

Sprint rolling out LTE to 28 new markets

Cody Lee ∙ January 17, 2013

Great news today for Sprint subscribers who have been lusting for LTE. The carrier just announced plans for a major expansion of its new 4G network, that will see the service added to 28 new markets over the next few months including Branson, Missouri, and Columbus, Georgia. We've got the full list of cities after the break...

Smartphones top tablets as hungriest data gadgets

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

For carriers, the name of the game is data consumption. The more data consumed, the more revenue. For observers, data consumption also provides a clue to how new devices are used.

For the first time, smartphones are outpacing tablets as the "hungriest" mobile devices.

In 2011, tablets comprised two out of three of the devices consuming the most data. By 2012, all of the top three mobile devices were smartphones, led by the iPhone 5.

According to Arieso, a European company helping optimize networks to meet changing demand, iPhone 5 users consume four times as much data as the iPhone 3G users, and 50 percent more than the iPhone 4S owners. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S III and the HTC Sensation XL rounded out the most voracious devices in Europe...

T-Mobile closes 2012 by bringing iPhone-friendly HSPA+ to 14 new cities

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Not to be outdone by rival Verizon and AT&T which rolled out their fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks to 29 and five new U.S. cities this week, respectively, T-Mobile USA today announced that its iPhone-friendly HSPA+ service on the 1900MHz band is launching in fourteen new metropolitan areas.

The carrier says these markets can take advantage of voice and data enhancements, improved signal strength and in-building coverage. The $4 billion network modernization plan announced ten months ago already enhanced coverage for more than a hundred million people, T-Mobile said...