4G WiMAX and LTE Latest Updates

The race for 4G technology is really starting to heat up as CLEAR and Sprint continue to expand coverage, Sprint released their much anticipated HTC EVO, Verizon announced LTE test markets and reports LTE capable phones are in the works! Below are the latest updates in the world of 4G:

WiMAX Coverage News:

Both Sprint and CLEAR have been working hard to bring 4G WiMAX to the following new markets, Richmond, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Kansas City and expanding coverage in Baltimore. CLEAR has also expanded coverage to Merced and Visalia, California; Eugene, Oregon; and Rochester and Syracuse, New York. Throughout the summer they plan to have coverage in 20 more major cities. On a more unofficial note, there have also been reports from customers in parts of New York and California that they are seeing 4G on their devices, despite the fact that 4G has not yet launched there.

WiMAX Equipment:

On June 4th, 2010 was the date that the HTC EVO was released, the worlds first 3G/4G capable phone! This phone is all about changing the way people use their phones with features such as the mobile hotspot (allowing you to use your EVO's 3G/4G connection to share with up to 8 devices via wireless). The device has been so popular, you currently can't find it in any stores as we all wait anxiously for another shipment. If touchscreen only devices aren't your style, Samsung has come to the rescue with the announcement of the Samsung Epic. This device will be the first 3G/4G phone with a full QWERTY keyboard.

As for WiMAX aircards, Sprint's Overdrive had gotten off to a rocky start because of some firmware issues, however, they have released a new firmware version 2.06.06 which has fixed the issue's users were complaining about. When ordering the Overdrive from 3Gstore, we make sure that every Overdrive shipped has version 2.06.06 pre-installed for you! Sprint has also released the new 250U 3G/4G aircard, which is the first device that includes the option for both a 3G and 4G antenna port (antennas currently work on 3G only). CLEAR announced that they'll be releasing 3G/4G portable hot-spots in July, which have been demanded ever since the popularity of the MiFi2200 3G devices.

LTE News:

As Sprint and CLEAR continue to expand coverage, Verizon has been focusing on their final testing phases (user trials in 5 markets - Boston, Seattle and 3 other unnamed cities). In early May, Verizon showed off their LTE network for the first time in Boston and the results were impressive. During the demonstrations they managed to get an 8.55Mbps download speed and a 2.8Mbps upload speed. Rural users can also start getting excited because they plan to partner with local companies that already have towers and backhaul available - Verizon will provide the LTE equipment and let the local providers manage the towers and backhaul. This strategy is planned to help them meet their goal of covering their entire 3G footprint with full 4G LTE coverage by 2013. Tips are also rolling in, rumoring that Verizon will be launching their 4G LTE service in 25 markets on 11/15/10, with several LTE handsets to follow on "Black Friday", which this year falls on 11/26.

LTE Equipment:

With the rumored LTE release date of 11/15, reports of various handset manufactures developing LTE handsets continue to roll in. RIM (manufacturers of Blackberry) is currently working one of the first LTE handsets for Verizon's LTE! This phone is being dubbed the BlackBerry Storm 3 has some impressive rumored spec's. The phone supposedly will feature a 1Ghz Processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Aside from the storm there might be up to five other LTE phones by next May, from manufacturers such as Motorola, HTC, LG and BlackBerry.

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Things are certainly heating up as we move through the summer months! We're sure there will be plenty of new devices in the upcoming months and can't wait to see Verizon's network first hand. That's all for now, 4G-lovers, but keep coming back for the latest updates at 4ginfo.com, and join in the 4G discussion on the 4G Forums!

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's... LTE news?!

WiMAX has dominated all of our 4G sites, blogs, and forums lately, but lest you have forgotten, there IS a second 4G mobile broadband internet technology - LTE! Many companies, including biggies like Verizon and AT&T have chosen to work towards building out LTE networks rather than WiMAX, but deployment and availability of LTE has been estimated to be several years behind WiMAX, which is why we don't hear nearly as much about it.

This week, though, brought about not one, not two, but THREE nuggets of LTE news!

First, Qualcomm announced that they are building a dual mode modem that will operate on both LTE and HSPA+ and that they plan to have it ready for second quarter of 2009 - whether there is a network to use it with or not. Senior VP Encrico Salvatori elaborated, saying much "still depends on a number of very uncertain factors, many of which are dependent on mobile network operators' plans and investment priorities about how and when to roll out this next stage of wireless technology" - in other words, they are steaming ahead at full speed with their chip-making plans even though they have no control over actual network availability.

Also in the news this week: LG, another electronics giant you are surely familiar with, showed off their first modem, an LTE-ready chip to be used in future 4G phones. They're estimating that the first 4G phones will come out in 2010, but without a network right now anybody's guess is as good as anyone else's!

Then, on the heels of those two hardware-creation updates, Verizon CTO and VP Dick Lynch announced during a speech that Verizon is accelerating their plans and vows to have an active LTE network "somewhere here in the U.S. probably this time next year." A lofty goal indeed, considering previous estimates were looking more in the 2012 range, but a wise move by Verizon/Vodafone if they do indeed have the resources necessary to build out a new network. Remember, part of the reason Clearwire is able to roll out their WiMAX network so aggressively is because of that 3+ billion in investment dollars the merger with Sprint afforded them - developing, testing, and deploying a new network doesn't come cheap. However, if they can pull it off, they will beat competitors like AT&T to the market, which will pay off big time in the long run!

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Discuss Verizon's LTE plans on the 4G Forums

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.

LTE is still years away from becoming available to us patient USA-ers, but it DOES work - and here's some proof!

Last month we reported on a test that Nortel and LG Electronics ran up in Ottawa, when they took a computer on a cruise through town at 100km/hr to test an LTE connection. The experiment was a success: they stayed connected as they drove and peaked at 50 megabits per second download, and even more impressively, their upload speed was 20 megabits/second.

3G4G blog unearthed a very cool video of the test drive and some cool commentary from Nortel themselves. Check it out:

USA users of carriers like Sprint and Verizon have long wished their cell phones and broadband modems were based on the GSM format so that they could have more flexibility in overseas usage, the technology that most of the rest of the world operates on. Users of non-GSM based wireless products who wish to use their service overseas are either unable (such as EVDO broadband pretty much anywhere but North America) to do so or forced to pay ridiculous roaming fees for the "privilege" of being able to use their phone or internet service that they are already paying for.

We've heard a lot of complaints about this issue, and there are already people wondering if that might change when WiMAX and LTE are debuted. The good news is that WiMAX does not require a physical token like a SIM card. So long as your WiMAX device/internal modem operates on the proper frequency, you could sign up with whatever provider suits your needs on a temporary basis. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as if LTE providers are going to be straying from their SIM-based format as they make the gradual move from 3G to 4G. If you go with LTE, you will remain saddled with the usual 1 or 2-year contract and have to deal with the same pains as always.

Will this prevent people from signing up for LTE when WiMAX is available as an alternative? Or will a SIM-free solution for LTE be developed? There will be some for whom being able to sign up with various providers will be a huge factor, but I'd imagine that the majority of 4G users are going to be more focused on coverage areas and broadband speeds (not to mention bandwidth limits, but let's not go there just yet).