4g lte

AT&T says true 4G is coming in 2013, but will it beat Verizon?

If the rumors are true, real, honest-to-god 4G in the United States could be on the way sometime in the next 7 to 12 months. FierceWireless reports on word from AT&T's annual meeting with analysts that it will be "firing up" new "LTE Advanced" service across its network in the second half of 2013.

What is LTE Advanced? Well, it's a lot like 4G LTE, only more, um, advanced.

See, in the old days of mobile broadband -- like, all the way back in 2011 -- carriers started marketing services they called 4G, but in the real world, they really only offered speeds one-tenth or one-twentieth those of the actual 4G standard, which is meant to deliver download speeds in the range of 100Mbps. That means we were suddenly able to download full songs out of the air in mere seconds on these new 4G services. … Read more

AT&T adds 6 LTE markets, now reaches 150M people

AT&T has expanded its LTE network to six more markets.

The company announced today that three U.S. markets -- Albuquerque, N.M., Reading, Penn., and Salt Lake City -- are now able to access its LTE network. Three markets in Puerto Rico -- Guayama, San German-Cabo Rojo, and Yauco -- also now have AT&T's LTE network.

With the new addition, AT&T's network now spans 109 markets and reaches more than 150 million people, the company told CNET in an e-mailed statement.

AT&T has been rapidly rolling out its LTE … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Axiom sneaks into U.S. Cellular lineup

U.S. Cellular this week quietly introduced another Android smartphone this week with the budget-friendly Samsung Galaxy Axiom.

Appearing on the carrier's Web site without even a press release, the Axiom runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and delivers a 4-inch 480x800-pixel WVGA display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. Additional details include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 2,100mAh battery, NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE connectivity.

Astute readers will recognize that the Galaxy Axiom closely resembles the recently announced Galaxy S3 Mini. Save for its slightly faster processor and longer-lasting battery, it'… Read more

LG Nexus 4 (sort of) has 4G LTE

In the best example of things being taken, then given, only to be then taken away again, it was recently discovered that the massively popular LG Nexus 4 houses an LTE modem that works... sort of.

The revelation began over at iFixit, which posted a teardown of the Nexus 4 last week. Front images of the motherboard showed a Qualcomm WTR1605L Seven-Band 4G LTE chip. That's right, a 4G LTE chip.

When asked about this, LG crushed all fantastical dreams of a firmware-enabled LTE upgrade to the ground and told TechRadar that despite the given chipset, the device isn'… Read more

U.S. Cellular offers unlimited 4G LTE plan...for now

U.S. Cellular is jumping on the unlimited data bandwagon.

The carrier today announced a new unlimited data plan for customers living in one of its 4G LTE markets. For a limited time, customers can sign up for an unlimited 4G LTE plan for $40 per month with an option to add tethering for $20 more.

U.S. Cellular isn't likely to have much competition when it comes to higher wireless speeds; the company said it is the only provider to offer an unlimited 4G LTE option in most of its markets, having recently expanded in parts of Iowa, … Read more

AT&T doubled its 4G LTE coverage this year

Striving to play catch-up with Verizon, AT&T has doubled the reach of its LTE network from a year ago.

The carrier's 4G LTE network now covers more than 150 million people across the U.S., double the number at the end of last year. With its rollout ahead of schedule, AT&T aims to reach 250 million people by the end of next year and 300 million by the end of 2014.

AT&T's LTE network is currently available in 103 markets scattered around the country. This week was another busy one for the … Read more

LTE networks vulnerable to inexpensive jamming technique

A laptop, an inexpensive transmitter, and a little technical knowledge is all that's necessary to take down the high-speed wireless data networks that are being embraced as the future of wireless communications, researchers warn.

As wireless consumers are increasingly doing more with their smartphones, demand for faster, persistent connections is also growing. Boasting speeds four times as fast as current 3G networks, long-term evolution (LTE) is being deployed across the country by every wireless carrier in the United States. Verizon, which was the first national carrier to launch LTE, expects to have the networks in 400 markets by the … Read more

Verizon plans to complete its LTE rollout by mid-2013

Verizon Wireless customers still waiting for 4G LTE to hit their town should get their wish by the middle of next year.

Speaking at a Wells Fargo Securities technology conference yesterday, Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo confirmed that the carrier is eyeing mid-2013 as the completion date for its LTE rollout. That timeframe is around six months earlier than the company had previously predicted, according to news site Fierce Wireless.

"I was confident in the first quarter when I said that you'll see an acceleration of our growth through the year, and I think that's proven to … Read more

iPad Mini LTE will ship by early next week, report says

Apple has allayed some fears by telling iPad Mini LTE buyers that their tablet will be launching soon.

Apple has contacted iPad Mini LTE buyers to inform them that the device will be shipping within the next few business days, AppleInsider is reporting, citing several e-mails forwarded to it by purchasers. Apple's e-mail says that the company will provide buyers with a tracking number "once your iPad is on the way."

Apple unveiled the iPad Mini last month and launched the Wi-Fi-only model on November 2. When Apple announced the LTE version, the company said that it … Read more

AT&T opens access to FaceTime video calling...to some

AT&T relented to public pressure and opened up access to the FaceTime video calling feature found on Apple's iOS devices.

The latest version of iOS allowed iPhones and iPads to FaceTime chat over the cellular network -- it previously could only run on Wi-Fi -- but AT&T had restricted access to the feature to customers in its capped Mobile Share data plan.

But AT&T said today that it would open cellular access to any AT&T customer on a tiered plan with a 4G LTE device, which means just the iPhone 5Read more