Aug 16

Why is LTE equipment being installed in an Apple Store?

Posted in: 4G, Apple, att, exclusive, iPhone, lte, Today's Chili
Well, this is certainly interesting. While rumors of an LTE-enabled iPhone had died down for a little while, they sprung back to life yesterday with a report that just such a device was being tested by carriers. Now we’ve received an image the image you see above, which shows some 4G LTE equipment that was recently installed in a major Apple store — by AT&T, according to our source. Making things somewhat more interesting is the equipment itself, one piece of which supports only the 700MHz and AWS bands — both of which AT&T plans to use for its LTE network if the T-Mobile acquisition goes through.

We’re also told that the Apple Store in question, and all those in the region, are now trying to increase staffing on the sales floor by about 30 percent, which is apparently not related to the usual hiring in the lead up to the holidays (that will apparently still happen later). Of course, this could simply be the result of some long-term planning rather than evidence of the next iPhone, but the timing is a bit curious to say the least.

Update: We’ve removed the pic for now at the request of our tipster.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Why is LTE equipment being installed in an Apple Store? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 16

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G scheduled for August 21st launch

Posted in: 4G, att, hotspot, hspa, lte, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, Today's Chili, usb
With it having been in the works for so long, it’s easy to forget that AT&T is ready to flip the switch on its sparkling-new LTE network virtually any second now. But Ma Bell is happy to remind us of its impending true 4G launch by announcing that its first two dedicated LTE devices, the USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G, are set to be sold in stores this upcoming Sunday. In addition, users of the USBConnect Adrenaline will be able to download a firmware update on August 26th that turns on its dormant LTE radio. The carrier also officially announced that its DataConnect plans will be offered for $50 per month for 5GB, with usage charges of $10 for each additional GB. Hold your horses, though — the units will be available for purchase and can be used on HSPA+ for now, but it doesn’t guarantee AT&T will activate the higher-speed 4G network next week. Nay, we may have to wait just a little longer before Ralph de la Vega pushes the big red button on his desk, but that day is not too distant.

Continue reading AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G scheduled for August 21st launch

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G scheduled for August 21st launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 16

Leaked FCC document details AT&T’s 4G LTE rollout plans, talks up T-Mobile merger

Posted in: 4G, att, business, deal, Law, leak, legal, lte, merger, money, network, t-mobile, Today's Chili
On Friday, a law firm accidentally posted a letter to the FCC website, detailing AT&T’s confidential 4G LTE rollout plans and explaining how they would be bolstered by a merger with T-Mobile. Arnold & Porter LLP, which is helping design the deal on AT&T’s behalf, quickly removed its partially redacted document, but the folks over at Gizmodo have gotten their hands on it once again and recently posted it for our viewing pleasure. According to the document, AT&T plans to extend its US coverage to 70 million consumers by the end of this year, before ramping that figure up to 170 million by the end of 2012 and a full 250 million by the end of the following year. The carrier plans to achieve this by upgrading a full 44,000 of its nodes to LTE over the course of the next three years and, once its merger goes through, hopes to cover 97 percent of all Americans within the six years following approval. The letter goes on to explain how the economics behind the TIA-approved deal would help facilitate these aspirations, while confirming that the merger is indeed as expensive as earlier reported — a whopping $3.8 billion, to be exact. To read the document in full, hit up the links, below.

Leaked FCC document details AT&T’s 4G LTE rollout plans, talks up T-Mobile merger originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 15

Leak: AT&T’s Confidential 4G LTE and T-Mobile Plans

Posted in: 4G, att, cellphones, lte, Phones, Smartphones, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili, top, verizon, Wireless

Last week, a partly redacted document about the AT&T-Mobile merger was oh-so-briefly posted on the FCC’s site by Arnold & Porter LLP, a law firm working on the deal for AT&T. Outlining some of AT&T’s confidential LTE plans, it was quickly taken down. Well, here it is. More »

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Aug 15

Samsung Celox gets its moment in the blurrycam spotlight

Posted in: galaxy, korea, lte, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon

Hey, what have we here? If it isn’t the GT-I9210, a version of the Samsung Celox that we saw the other week. The Samsung Galaxy II-esque LTE handset got the blurrycam treatment on its way to Korean carrier SK Telecom. The rear of the device looks the same as what we saw earlier in the month, only with the carrier’s logo tacked on for good measure. The front, on the other hand, has been redesigned and is now sporting four capacitive keys — not an unusual move for a carrier branded version of one of the company’s smartphones. In light of SK Telecom and Verizon’s use of both LTE and CDMA, perhaps the Celox will join T-Mobile’s rumored Hercules as the other 4.5-inch screened Galaxy S II variant for the US? Fingers crossed.

Samsung Celox gets its moment in the blurrycam spotlight originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 15

Apple Reportedly Testing 4G LTE iPhone

Posted in: 4G, Apple, iPhone, lte, Phones, R&D and Inventions, rumors, Today's Chili

Mobile carriers reportedly are testing 4G versions of Apple’s smartphone. But before you get all excited, it may not necessarily be the iPhone 5.

BGR says iPhone carriers are testing models with 4G LTE capability. It discovered evidence of a property list file (.plist) within the firmware, which definitively revealed Apple is developing the technology. Whether it’s for the next generation iPhone, or a generation after that, is yet to be seen.

As we get closer to the anticipated announcement of the next-gen iPhone, rumors are flying. After missing its traditional June launch, rumors pegged the announcement for September. That’s recently been debunked by some in favor of an announcement in October. Whenever it appears, the the iPhone 5 is expected to sport an A5 processor, 8-megapixel camera sensor, “curved” cover glass and a flat metal back.

The Guardian previously reported carriers have been testing iPhone 5 models inside “specially constructed boxes,” with hardware encased in “a dummy body.” This makes it seem it could be the iPhone 5 that is being tested for 4G support.

It looks like Apple is putting in a lot more time testing its next gen iPhone in the wild than it did with its predecessor in order to avoid something like last year’s Antennagate fiasco — which really, in the scheme of things, was not that big of a deal.

Or maybe employees just aren’t being quite as scrupulous about Apple’s closely guarded secrets as they have been in the past.

Photo: Steve Jobs with the iPhone 4 at WWDC 2010. (Jon Snyder/Wired.com)


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Aug 15

Carriers testing LTE-enabled 4G iPhone?

Posted in: 4G, Apple, AppleIphone, att, ios, iPhone, lte, rumor, rumors, Today's Chili

Earlier this year, Verizon CEO Dan Mead all but confirmed that an LTE Apple device would be making its way to Verizon. Eventually. And no 2011 Apple rumor spattering would be complete without at least a casual mention of the high-speed 4G network. Now, BGR claims to have received an internal iOS test build from a major carrier, revealing a property list file for LTE. This of course doesn’t guarantee that Apple will be shipping an LTE iPhone flavor later this year, but that it at least remains a possibility. Still, an October iPhone launch would fall nicely in line with recent confirmation that AT&T will be releasing an LTE smartphone in “late 2011,” and 4G compatibility could definitely explain Cupertino’s holdup in announcing the iPhone 4’s successor. So, will you be flying through the wireless web at lightning-fast speed later this year? Hopefully we need not wait much longer to find out.

Carriers testing LTE-enabled 4G iPhone? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 12

iPhone 5 rumor roundup: Everything we know, or don’t know, so far

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, iphone 4s, lte, mobile, nfc, rumor, Sprint, Today's Chili

The iPhone 5 is coming. Maybe it’ll land in September, maybe October, maybe some time after that, but sooner or later Apple is going to release a sequel to the wildly successful iPhone 4. That successor might have a larger screen, NFC, a slimmer design, or any number of other features… if the rumors are to […]

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Aug 10

Clearwire: Erik Prusch to take over as CEO

Posted in: 4G, lte, network, Sprint, Today's Chili, WiMAX

Precisely five months since the last time Clearwire had a permanent CEO in place, a new boss has been selected to take the place of Bill Morrow. Being promoted to the position is Erik Prusch, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, who will be faced with a monstrous challenge: secure roughly $600 million in capital to fund Clearwire’s buildout of LTE. If none can be found, the company will be completely out of cash by the end of 2012. Fortunately, he’s got some talent to help him in the arduous quest; backing Prusch as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors will be John Stanton, who’s served as the interim CEO since Morrow’s departure. Given the situation, it’s a difficult position to be placed in — either he’ll be the hero that saves the company, or the villain responsible for taking it down. Check out the full press release after the break.

Continue reading Clearwire: Erik Prusch to take over as CEO

Clearwire: Erik Prusch to take over as CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 10

AT&T: no LTE smartphone until late 2011

Posted in: 4G, att, hspa, lte, Today's Chili

Not exactly a huge surprise here considering that the carrier is still just getting its LTE network off the ground, but AT&T has now confirmed that it won’t be offering any LTE-capable smartphones until late this year (LTE data cards will apparently come sometime before that). Put another way, however, that also confirms that AT&T will be offering at least one LTE smartphone before year’s end. That word comes from AT&T’s senior vice president for mobility and consumer markets, Pete Ritcher, who also continued to talk up the company’s HSPA+ network, noting that it has been working to get the most out of it as it waited for LTE handsets to mature, and that it will let customers “fall back to faster speeds than our competitors” when they do eventually make the jump to LTE.

AT&T: no LTE smartphone until late 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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