T-Mobile to Lumia 810 users: No LTE for you
The Lumia 810's chipset can support both HSPA+ and LTE, but the carrier has put the kibosh on an update to LTE at this time.
Nokia Lumia 810 owners hoping for an update to 4G LTE are out of luck.
The Lumia 810's hardware can support both HSPA+ and LTE; however, T-Mobile has confirmed that an update to LTE isn't going to happen -- at least not at this point, according to a statement sent to CNET today:
While the Nokia Lumia 810 features a chipset, which provides the hardware capability to support both HSPA+42 and LTE, the device will not automatically access our LTE network and, at this time, it will not receive an update to do so.
T-Mobile is committed to enhancing customers' experience with our devices, including providing upgrades to device features and operating systems, and T-Mobile aims to deliver software upgrades when it will provide a better experience for our customers. We'll share additional information on upgrades for the Nokia Lumia 810 when they are available.
The news comes as a letdown to Lumia 810 owners because T-Mobile, which is the phone's only U.S. carrier, reportedly had promised an LTE update. Representatives for the carrier told Engadget in January that an upcoming software update would turn the switch on LTE.
T-Mobile officially kicked off its 4G LTE network late last month in Baltimore; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas; Phoenix; San Jose, Calif.; and Washington D.C.
The company plans to expand the network to 100 million people by the middle of 2013 and 200 million by the end of the year.
But until T-Mobile can build up its LTE network, the majority of its subscribers will have to make do with the carrier's HSPA+42 network. HSPA+ is speedier than 3G but can't keep up with LTE.
