lte advanced

LTE-Advanced iPhone 5S and budget model rumors surface

In need of a daily dose of rumors about future iPhones? Well, A Chinese-language blog claims the budget iPhone is on the way, while a Korean news outlet expects a version of the iPhone 5S with high-speed LTE.

Let's start with the most colorful rumor. Chinese tech blog lieyunwang claims -- via Brightwire -- that Hon Hai Precision (aka, Foxconn) has begun production of the entry-level iPhone, expected to be offered in several different colors.

What colors? A French site posted photos on Monday that claim to show the colorful back plates.

Meanwhile, the Chinese-language report states that the … Read more

SK Telecom launches world's first LTE-Advanced network

South Korea is about to get a taste of what true 4G mobile broadband speed is.

SK Telecom announced Wednesday that it has launched the world's first LTE-Advanced network, a faster LTE standard that was originally deemed by the International Telecommunication Union as a true 4G standard. LTE-Advanced is capable of data transfer rates of 150Mbps, roughly twice as fast as the 4G LTE speeds available in the United States and elsewhere, and 10 times faster than 3G, SK Telecom said.

"By supporting twice faster speeds than LTE, LTE-A will not only enhance customers' satisfaction in network quality, … Read more

A Samsung Galaxy S4 supporting LTE-Advanced surfaces

Get ready to drool, folks. A version of Samsung's Galaxy S4 has been spotted that reportedly supports LTE-Advanced, a mobile broadband standard that could finally deliver on the true promise of 4G networks.

LTE-Advanced is designed to deliver higher capacity and peak data rates of as much as 3Gbps for downloading and 1.5Gbps for uploads. While carriers here in America are still working on blanketing our significantly more vast landscape with regular old LTE coverage, South Korea's SK Telecom claims to already be hard at work on its first LTE-Advanced network.… Read more

Samsung to launch Galaxy S4 Advanced with faster LTE

Samsung is ready to launch a new Galaxy S4 that will be capable of connecting to the Internet through the LTE-Advanced 4G technology.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview published Monday, Samsung Electronics CEO J.K. Shin said that his company will launch a Galaxy S4 Advanced device designed to connect to the next generation of 4G LTE networks, dubbed LTE-Advanced. According to Shin, while a movie download might take three minutes on a current LTE connection, it would take a little over one minute on LTE-Advanced.

The Galaxy S4 Advanced's chip will be made by Qualcomm, Shin told … Read more

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

Possible Plan B for T-Mobile? Dish needs a partner

If T-Mobile USA doesn't end up with AT&T, Dish Network is waiting in the wings.

Dish is interested in a partnership with T-Mobile, pooling together their collective wireless spectrum to create a stronger competitor to AT&T and Verizon Wireless, Dish CEO Joseph Clayton said in an interview with Bloomberg.

It's one of a number of alternative options that T-Mobile could pursue if the AT&T deal falls through.

T-Mobile's primary justification for its merger with AT&T is the lack of spectrum and parent Deutsche Telekom AG's reluctance to put … Read more

Sprint to move into LTE-Advanced by 2013, report says

Sprint Nextel doesn't yet have its own 4G LTE network up and running, but that hasn't stopped it from already talking up plans for the next iteration of LTE.

The wireless provider said it plans to deploy LTE-Advanced technology after rolling out its LTE network next year, according to Fierce Wireless. Speaking at the 4G World conference in Chicago today, Iyad Tarazi, Sprint's vice president of network development and engineering, said it would occur in the first half of 2013.

LTE-Advanced is a faster version of LTE and what the International Telecommunications Union originally deemed a true … Read more

Sprint special October event could reveal 4G plans

Sprint is holding a special event in early October that it's dubbed "a strategy update," prompting speculation as to what strategy the carrier will discuss.

The invite sent out to the media says the event will take place in New York City on Friday, October 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. But the agenda teases only presentations by senior management and a Q&A session with no details as to the topic.

So far, speculation is pointing to Sprint's 4G future as the potential subject.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse apparently … Read more

Dish unveils plans for 4G LTE network

The allure of 4G wireless service has drawn in a number of new players, including satellite-TV provider Dish Network.

Dish applied yesterday for a waiver to the Federal Communications Commission that would allow it to use its recently acquired spectrum to build a wireless network, according to Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin. The company plans to build a 4G LTE Advanced network, Chaplin said yesterday in a research note, adding that it has committed to a "realistic" build-out schedule.

The FCC application provides some clarity on what Dish had planned to do with a recent wave of acquisitions, … Read more

A beginner's guide to telecom jargon, part 4

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it's difficult to keep up--even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms about.

This week, I continue with the techno-babble trend with a few more network terms for 4G. (Who doesn't love those?)

So for some light reading, here are a few terms telecom experts throw around with the assumption that everyone understands them.

TD-LTE: Just when you thought there possibly couldn't be anymore 4G terms, Clearwire pops up and decides to switch to a technology that hasn'… Read more