ITU capitulates, admits that the term ‘4G’ could apply to LTE, WiMAX, and ‘evolved 3G technologies’

Though it’s standing firm on the definition of its original 4G specification — IMT-Advanced — which only WiMAX 2 and LTE-Advanced are currently capable of meeting, the ITU is easing off its earlier rhetoric, admitting that the term “4G” realistically could apply “to the forerunners of these technologies, LTE and WiMAX, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed.” The whole dust-up started when carriers around the world deploying LTE and WiMAX networks (ahem, Sprint and Verizon) were throwing the “4G” term around very, very loosely — and to their credit, the networks are indisputably a generation beyond CDMA2000 and UMTS / HSPA, so if anything, we’d fault the ITU for leaving today’s modern networks without a generation to call their own. The “evolved 3G technologies” verbiage in the ITU’s statement would seemingly even leave room for T-Mobile USA’s claim that its 21Mbps HSPA+ network constitutes 4G… so yeah, score one for marketing campaigns. Of course, none of these carriers had ever planned to bow to the ITU’s recommendations anyway, so the ruling has little practical relevance — just know that the true 4G speeds are still a few years off.

[Thanks, Nate]

ITU capitulates, admits that the term ‘4G’ could apply to LTE, WiMAX, and ‘evolved 3G technologies’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashdot  |  sourceITU  | Email this | Comments

FCC to auction off deadbeat bidders’ 700MHz spectrum on July 19th, 2011

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our stratospheric rise in smartphone adoption over the past several years (with no end in sight), it’s that we can never have enough spectrum to run data services for them — just ask the chairman of the FCC, the president of the CTIA, or pretty much anyone who’s ever tried to load Engadget on an iPhone in Times Square. To that end, we’re excited to see that the FCC has slated another round of 700MHz spectrum — the pure gold that Verizon, AT&T, and others are using for LTE deployments — but we wouldn’t get too excited, because it’s actually just a few blocks left over from the last auction that went unsold or unpaid. Markets in Puerto Rico, North Dakota, North Carolina, and South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia make up the 16 licenses available, so if you were planning on setting up 4G services in the Bismarck metropolitan area, you’re in good shape.

FCC to auction off deadbeat bidders’ 700MHz spectrum on July 19th, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

HTC’s Peter Chou says LTE handsets are coming next year, and the world keeps on spinning

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but a very popular handset maker will be introducing smartphones that incorporate the latest wireless technology at some point in the upcoming year. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Now let’s add the key words: HTC, LTE, and 2011. Here’s CEO Peter Chou from a recent Mobile World Live video interview:

Q: When does HTC plan to launch an LTE device, and which markets do you think will be the early adopters of that device?

A: We are working on LTE device for next year, 2011, we think the US mobile operator will be taking some leading and pushing the LTE 4G in the US market, but however, we are seeing the rest of world will be deploying LTE network elsewhere in 2011. Could be second half of 2011.

Our money’s on the Mecha / Incredible HD for the US, along with probably a dozen other phones of various sizes and form factors. And we don’t really know the details of its global plans. But hey, it happens — call us when Chou spills the beans on 5G technology and holographic displays.

HTC’s Peter Chou says LTE handsets are coming next year, and the world keeps on spinning originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GigaOm  |  sourceMobile World Live  | Email this | Comments

MetroPCS brings its LTE network to Boston, Sacramento, and New York City

Regional carrier MetroPCS is ticking three more checkboxes today as it keeps pushing its ongoing LTE network rollout, and they’re big ones: on top of Sacramento, they’ve added Boston and none other than New York City. That makes the carrier second to launch LTE in the Big Apple — Verizon’s already there — but you can’t take away from the fact that MetroPCS beat the big guys with their first live commercial markets by several months. As for hardware, it’s the same as usual: the Samsung Craft dumbphone is your only option, which means that if you’re looking to blaze on your notebook with a next-gen USB stick, you’re still going to have to head to Verizon anyway. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading MetroPCS brings its LTE network to Boston, Sacramento, and New York City

MetroPCS brings its LTE network to Boston, Sacramento, and New York City originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Pantech’s Verizon LTE modem configured for Mac use, follow along at home

At this point, you’ve got one of two choices for Verizon LTE modems — the Pantech UML290 and the LG VL600 (which we got) — and neither work on the Mac. Verizon says OS X compatibility is coming soon, but if you’re the impatient sort and happen to possess the Pantech variant, you may be in luck: a member of HowardForums has posted instructions on how to set it up via Network Preferences. Windows is still needed for the initial activation, and there’s no promises it’ll work with every Apple computer, but if all the stars have aligned just right for you, hey, congrats.

Pantech’s Verizon LTE modem configured for Mac use, follow along at home originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink EVDOinfo.com  |  sourceHowardForums  | Email this | Comments

Verizon: LTE modem handoff has two-minute delay, fix (and Mac compatibility) on the way

Though we found Verizon’s new LTE network pleasantly speedy in early testing, there are a few rough edges to the tech — Verizon’s USB modem have difficulty handing off connected users from an EVDO network to an LTE one, and of course, they don’t yet work on Mac. However, Verizon’s since admitted to both these issues and pledged to remedy the twain. “Hand-offs can take up to a couple minutes, but that was expected and a fix is in the works,” it told Computerworld earlier today. “Mac is not yet supported, and we’ve been working on drivers for Mac OS for weeks, and expect to update relatively soon,” a representative added. Now let’s see the company bring some sense to the wild, wild west we call the 4G market.

Verizon: LTE modem handoff has two-minute delay, fix (and Mac compatibility) on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceComputerworld  | Email this | Comments

Samsung’s SCH-LC11 CDMA / LTE mobile hotspot gets FCC approval, probably Verizon bound

We’ve heard rumors that Novatel is working on an LTE-enabled version of its MiFi for Verizon, likely for launch early next year — but you’ve got to figure that a few other manufacturers would like a slice of that sweet, juicy 4G pie, right? We just noticed this so-called SCH-LC11 from Samsung has garnered FCC approval, offering CDMA / EV-DO compatibility alongside 700MHz LTE stuffed into some sort of WiFi-enabled mobile router, which would be perfect for Big Red’s new network… but then again, it’d also be perfect for MetroPCS’ LTE airwaves. MetroPCS has yet to launch any data-centric LTE products, but it’s got a good relationship with Samsung — its only LTE device right now is the Samsung Craft, in fact — so we could definitely imagine the little guys trying to beat Verizon to the punch with a sexy, pocketable 4G hotspot to do battle with Sprint’s Overdrive. One way or another, this is hitting an American carrier… and the sooner, the better.

Update: Okay, we can rule out MetroPCS — the device is approved for CDMA on 850 / 1900MHz, not AWS, which is what MetroPCS uses. Verizon, here we come.

Samsung’s SCH-LC11 CDMA / LTE mobile hotspot gets FCC approval, probably Verizon bound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Verizon CEO: 4G can be a ‘substitute’ for home internet and cable, will accelerate cord cutting

Sometimes, you have to wonder if these CEO types are being paid the big bucks just because they can believe their own outlandish claims. Latest to try and push the boundaries of credulity is Verizon’s Ivan Seidenberg, who told an investor conference that he sees the company’s newly unveiled 4G offering as becoming a “modest substitute” for premium home entertainment services as offered by cable and online streaming companies. He concedes that for now VZW’s new LTE network will be viewed as an addition, rather than a replacement, to our connected world, but, over time, Seidenberg expects that its presence will be enough to convince more people to cut the cord. Perhaps those who’ll find the $50 per 5GB levy easiest to swallow will be people with no cord at all — the folks in rural areas for whom wired broadband isn’t yet an option. As to the rest of us, we’ll just wait until the economics start to look a tiny bit more appealing.

Update: Speaking of economics, Fierce Wireless has another disclosure from the same conference. On the topic of LTE smartphone plans, Ivan said Verizon is still undecided on pricing, but he sees 10GB a month as the “floor of what people will do,” going on to say that Verizon must “hold firm as best we can until the entire environment is mature enough.” Listen to the webcast of his speech at the link below.

Verizon CEO: 4G can be a ‘substitute’ for home internet and cable, will accelerate cord cutting originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNASDAQ  | Email this | Comments

Sprint phasing out Nextel’s iDEN network, selects vendors for $5b network upgrade project

Looks like the Motorola i1 Android set (not pictured above) will stand as the highest-end Nextel phone ever — Sprint just announced that it’s phasing out the iDEN network sometime in 2013 as it begins a new four to five billion dollar network enhancement project called “Network Vision.” We’ve expected this for a while — the Sprint / Nextel merger has been beset by subscriber losses and rumors of a breakup for years now — but this is the first time we’ve gotten a date. Sprint’s rolling out push-to-talk on its own network to support its 10.6 million Nextel customers, but we don’t have a schedule for that yet. Sprint’s also announcing vendors for Network Vision: Alcatel-Lucent, Samsung, and Ericsson will each handle a region and be tasked with expanding and fortifying Sprint’s existing 1900MHz 3G network while buying 800MHz, 1900MHz, and 2.5GHz spectrum for future use. Interestingly, Sprint’s definitely hedging its WiMAX bets a little — it can upgrade its new gear to LTE with swapping in a baseband card and issuing a software patch, which certainly gives the company some 4G flexibility should Clearwire not pull things together. We’ll see what happens — the underdog’s making some moves.

Sprint phasing out Nextel’s iDEN network, selects vendors for $5b network upgrade project originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUSA Today, Fierce Wireless  | Email this | Comments

Motorola planning 4G devices for Verizon, 7- and 10-inch tablets early next year

It looks like this CES could be a hot one for Motorola. Can you believe it was only a bit more than a year ago that Motorola introduced the Droid? Now it has a whole lineup of incredibly hot phones, and CES seems like a perfect time for the beating of chests in front of an industry. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha just went on record during a keynote at the Credit Suisse 2010 Technology Conference, saying Motorola will be entering the tablet space ‘in the near future.’ He also said that he sees both 7-inch and 10-inch tablets as viable sizes — something that seems perfectly logical to us, and might jibe with how we initially heard of Motorola’s “Stingray” tablet as a smaller device, but later heard it was a full 10-incher upgradeable to LTE. This all follow’s on Sanjay’s statement in September that Motorola wouldn’t be joining in on the tablet space until next year, a year which is rapidly approaching. Meanwhile, Sanjay also confirmed that Motorola would have 4G devices “early” next year, which also sounds like a CES hint to us, though it might just be 4G modems and hotspots at the outset. Still, bring it on.

Motorola planning 4G devices for Verizon, 7- and 10-inch tablets early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PC Magazine  |  sourceCredit Suisse 2010 Technology Conference  | Email this | Comments