4G Blog by 4Ginfo.com

News, info, reviews, and opinions on WiMAX, LTE, Clearwire, XOHM, and Sprint 4G

Friday, September 19, 2008

In a world where "can't we all just get along?" is nothing more than a meaningless cliche these days, 4G device manufacturers are actually doing something along those lines: creating 4G products that will feature both LTE and WiMAX capabilities!

Not all vendors will create devices like this, and not all carriers will offer them. But Intel and Ericson have already been making chips for laptop companies that work with LTE and WiMAX, and we'll be seeing the same cool feature available in everything from cameras to smartphones to video cameras at some point.

Having the ability to use your device on different networks is huge for consumers. You'd have the option of signing up for both services and being able to access either one depending on which coverage area you're in, and canceling service with one provider to switch to another wouldn't require a new modem/laptop/etc. The question now is whether LTE-only and WiMAX-only service providers (i.e. Sprint and Verizon) will be willing to sell devices that don't lock you into their service.

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