Verizon expects the Nexus 7 LTE to be 4G certified “shortly” after addressing complaints that Google’s Android tablet could not be activated on its network. The carrier blames extensive wireless testing for the delay, claiming to have begun examining the slate back in August. Meanwhile, rival carriers AT&T and T-Mobile USA already support the Nexus […]
The FCC may be guardians of America’s cellular devices, but the commission’s staffers don’t care too much for a company’s secret release plans. The latest bundle of documents has revealed that the Vodafone Smart 4G has been passed fit for human consumption over in the US of A. Given that Vodafone doesn’t have a branded presence in the colonies and the handset runs LTE Band 7, it’s likely that this one’s destined for a life in the UK. Presumably this re-branded Coolpad 8860U will be sold like the other Vodafone Smart range — as a budget option for Brits who want 4G without having to pay £21-or-more per month to get a Lumia 625 for nothing.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: FCC
If recent smartphone launches have you reconsidering your carrier options, here’s some 4G rollout info to throw into the mix. Unlike its rivals, Three is actively advertising its full LTE roadmap, focusing first on London, Birmingham, Manchester and Reading, which it hopes to switch on before the end of the year. Its plans for 2014 are much more expansive, however, with a total of 42 cities set to go live, covering 98 percent of the country by 2015. Although it’ll launch some months after its rivals, the carrier may scoop up customers with a promise not to charge extra for 4G data. Finally, as to whether Three will eventually change its name to Four, the company still isn’t saying.
Filed under: Wireless
Via: CNET
Source: Three
While EE celebrates reaching 1 million 4G subscribers, Vodafone is stepping up its game to get you to become part of its LTE family. Originally limited to London at launch, Vodafone says it plans to roll out its 4G network in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield on September 28th. On top of that, the operator will also throw in an extra 4GB of data if you join before the end of October. Vodafone already offers customers unlimited data for the first three months of their tariff, along with your choice of Spotify Premium or a Premiership football bundle (free for six months), so this will help to soften the blow when that comes to an end. Right now, Vodafone’s 4G footprint is still relatively small but it plans to push its LTE network live in Bradford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle by the end of the year.
VODAFONE BOOSTS ULTRAFAST 4G PLANS WITH ‘4GBONUS’ SPECIAL PROMOTION
· All Vodafone Red 4G-ready and Vodafone Red Business 4G-ready customers signing up before the end of October will get an extra 4GB of data per month for the length of their contract
· Existing ultrafast 4G customers will also get the ‘4GBonus’ added to their plan at no extra cost
· Vodafone ultrafast 4G coming to Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield on September 28 as rollout to 98% of UK population continues
Vodafone UK is today giving customers even more reasons to enjoy fantastic sports or music entertainment on ultrafast 4G by boosting the amount of data available with all Vodafone Red 4G-ready plans by 4GB per month for the length of their contract. Vodafone Red 4G-ready brings 4G to life as never before, with sports action including over 150 hours of Premier League football from Sky Sports Mobile TV, or more than 20 million songs from Spotify Premium for music lovers.
Anyone signing up to a SIM only plan or a 12 or 24 month plan, with a new 4G-ready handset included, will get three months unlimited UK data, then double the amount of data available on standard Vodafone Red plans plus an extra 4GB per month for the length of their contract. On top of unlimited calls and texts it’s Vodafone’s best ever value deal. The ‘4GBonus’ offer runs from today until the end of October for new and upgrading customers. Customers who signed up for Vodafone Red 4G-ready plans after they went on sale on August 12 will also receive the additional 4GB of data at no extra cost.
Following the launch of Vodafone ultrafast 4G in London last month, Vodafone also announces today that it will launch 4G services in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield on September 28. By the end of the year, Vodafone Ultrafast 4G, with speeds typically six times faster than 3G, will also be switched on in Bradford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.* Vodafone is targeting indoor 4G coverage across 98% of the UK population by 2015.
Mark Howe, Head of Post Pay Consumer, Vodafone UK, said “With our Vodafone Red 4G-ready plans 4G finally has a purpose and now with the ‘4GBonus’ Vodafone ultrafast 4G is even more compelling. There are a number of hotly anticipated new devices coming out in the Autumn and with the ‘4GBonus’ there are even more reasons for customers to choose Ultrafast 4G from Vodafone.”
Vodafone Red 4G-ready starts at £26 per month for a 12 month SIM-only plan, which now comes with 6GB of data, and £34 per month for a 24 month plan with a handset included, which now comes with 6GB of data. Vodafone Red 4G-ready customers also have a choice of great entertainment from either Sky Sports Mobile TV or Spotify Premium.
Customers choosing Sky Sports Mobile TV will have access to more live football than ever before, including exclusive live coverage of more than 100 matches from the Barclays Premier League, the Sky Bet Football League, UEFA Champions League, the SPFL and La Liga. Vodafone customers choosing Sky Sports Mobile TV can also look forward to the Ashes tour of Australia this winter, Majors golf coverage including the US PGA Championship and Heineken Cup rugby.
Vodafone Red 4G-ready customers choosing Spotify Premium will have more than 20 million songs at their fingertips. Spotify is the largest music streaming service of its kind, offering instant, on-demand access to the world’s music, on the go. Vodafone Red 4G-ready users can discover new music, enjoy playlists curated by their friends, follow their favourite artists and celebrities, or just relax and listen to Spotify radio. Spotify Premium lets music lovers enjoy music however they want – on a smartphone, tablet or through a home entertainment system. Music fans can even listen to their favourite tracks on aeroplanes, thanks to the ‘offline sync’ feature.
Business users who want to enjoy ultrafast 4G and the ability to share their data allowance at no extra cost with Vodafone Red Business 4G-ready, will also receive an extra 4GB of data for the length of their contract. Vodafone Red Business starts from just £21.67 (ex-VAT), for a 12 month SIM-only plan, which now comes with 6GB of data. Customers who signed up for Vodafone Red Business 4G-ready plans after they went on sale on August 12 will also receive the additional 4GB of data at no extra cost.
Filed under: Wireless
EE said it wanted to have a million 4G customers by the end of the year, but it won’t have to wait nearly that long. The UK carrier just topped that mark four months ahead of its stated deadline while its competitors are just getting off the starting blocks. O2 and Vodafone both fired up their respective LTE networks less than two weeks ago, while Three’s won’t launch until December. Despite having been the only game in town until recently, EE claims the UK’s adoption of 4G has been one of the world’s fastest so far. It seems like there’s a lot more technofreaks out there than Vodafone imagined.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Think 150Mbps LTE-Advanced data is quick? KDDI could offer far more bandwidth next year. Nikkei claims that the Japanese carrier plans to upgrade its cellular network to 220 Mbps data as soon as summer 2014. Service would reportedly launch with an Android smartphone, and rely on new wireless technology; it’s not clear whether this entails a faster LTE-A variant or something new. KDDI hasn’t confirmed the rumor, so we wouldn’t consider moving to Japan just yet. If there’s any truth to the claims, however, even NTT DoCoMo’s upgraded LTE could soon feel downright pokey.
[Image credit: TAKA@P.P.R.S, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Source: Nikkei (subscription required)
Huawei‘s rotating CEO and deputy chairman Ken Hu has made a guest contribution over at Forbes discussing 5G networks, stating that the company has been working on developing them for the past several years. If all goes as Huawei expects, the company plans to launch said networks commercially in 2020, stating that it would be […]
You may recall earlier this month we mentioned that O2 was set to launch its 4G network within the UK on August 29. August 29 is officially here and O2 has indeed flip the switch and turned 4G on for its customers. However, O2 isn’t the only wireless carrier in the UK it’s turned on […]
Since today’s the day that Vodafone and O2 launch their 4G networks, Three has piped up to remind you that its own LTE rollout isn’t too far behind. Customers in London, Birmingham and Manchester will be getting an early Christmas present when the service goes live at some point in December. As promised back in February, existing customers with LTE-ready devices won’t pay extra, nor will they lose their unlimited data allowance. The network is promising to be in 50 cities by the end of 2014 and cover 98 percent of the population by the end of 2015. After all, Dave Dyson’s a mobile executive who likes to take things slow.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
It’s old hat whenever we hear a carrier announcing new cities that LTE is coming to, but AT&T today announced their plans for the rest of the year as far as the carrier’s expansion of 4G LTE is concerned. They might be behind Verizon as far as coverage, but Ma Bell is determined to get […]
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
