LTE

Question of the Week: will you switch from AT&T to Verizon for LTE coverage?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 6, 2012

As Ed brought out in his post just a few minutes ago, AT&T is scrambling to get its LTE network deployed in more cities with the iPhone 5's debut on the horizon.

At this point, Verizon has many more markets covered with LTE than their fiercest competitor in the United States, and with the upcoming release of the first LTE enabled iPhone, it could have a significant impact on customer loyalty and sales.

With that in mind, would you consider switching from AT&T to Verizon, if AT&T doesn't have an LTE network available in your market come iPhone 5 launch day? Sound off, in this week's Question of the Week...

AT&T expands 4G LTE network ahead of new iPhone launch

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

With just days before Apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone, AT&T Thursday announced its 4G LTE network is expanding into nine new US markets. The carrier also said it expects to add 43 more markets for the high-speed network by the end of 2012.

Although Apple's not talking ahead of the Sept. 12 media event, observers expect the Cupertino, Calif. company to introduce a new iPhone that supports the faster LTE networks. The new iPhone would join the latest iPad as two iOS devices compatible with LTE.

Samsung plans to use LTE patents to sue Apple over next-gen iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ August 30, 2012

If you thought Apple's victory last week was the end of the fighting between it and Samsung, think again. Samsung is still expected to file an appeal on the ruling, and an injunction hearing has already been set.

On top of that, Samsung is said to be gearing up for a major legal counter attack, preparing "all measures for all scenarios" to fight Apple in 50 patent disputes in 10 countries. In other words, "it's on..."

Sprint expands LTE into four more US cities

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Sprint has added four more US cities to its 4G LTE network. Baltimore, Gainsville, Ga., Manhattan/Junction City, Kan., and Sedalia, Mo. were added to the high-speed network the carrier launched on July 15. Baltimore residents gain not only LTE, but an upgrade to 3G, Sprint announced.

"As consumers all over the country are becoming more dependent on their smartphones, network quality is becoming more important," according to a statement. Sprint's LTE network began by introducing LTE in 15 cities. The carrier hopes to complete its LTE build-out by the end of 2013.

Study shows nearly 50% of US consumers don’t care about LTE

Cody Lee ∙ August 22, 2012

Even though we haven't seen much evidence, the tech world seems pretty convinced that the new iPhone will be LTE-capable. After all, Apple's latest tablet supports the 4G tech. And Android devices have for years.

But as it turns out, folks may not end up caring that much about whether the new iPhone supports LTE or not. A new report is out this morning, claiming that nearly 50% of US consumers don't feel that they need it...

UK carrier authorized to offer first LTE service ahead of iPhone launch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

This is pretty interesting: Ofcom, the regulator for UK communications, announced today that it has given permission to the carrier Everything Everywhere to begin using its existing 1800 MHz to offer LTE services beginning on September 11.

If that date sounds familiar, that's because it's the day before the all-but-confirmed media event where Apple is said to be unveiling it's next smartphone. The handset is widely expected to be LTE-capable, but will it work outside of the US?

Poll: is the next iPhone going to be world-phone LTE compatible?

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 15, 2012

Less than four weeks from Apple's September 12 iPhone 5 event, U.S. carriers continue aggressive deployment of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, making it all too easy to get carried away with the wonders of high-speed 4G networking on the next iPhone.

After all, 4G is thought to be one of the headline features of the device. On the other hand, this is going to be the first iPhone ever to have 4G, meaning some limitations and teething problems are likely to be expected, as is always the case with first-gen everything from Apple.

Regular users will probably assume that just because the next iPhone is 4G LTE, it's gonna work on whatever carrier's fourth-generation LTE network. That may not be the case and if the third-generation iPad is an indication, the iPhone 5 could disappoint some international users with limited support for LTE frequency bands.

That being said, we're asking you to take a long and hard look at the current state of technology and vote on the kind of LTE support you think the iPhone 5 will have...

Verizon’s LTE network will soon cover 2/3 of US population

Cody Lee ∙ August 15, 2012

Verizon just announced that it's going to flip the LTE switch on in 34 new markets tomorrow, and will also be expanding its 4G coverage in another 38.

We'll get to the new markets in a moment, but perhaps more interesting is the milestone. After tomorrow's rollout, Verizon's LTE network will be in more than 370 markets, blanketing close to two-thirds of the the country's population...

The big question looms: does iPhone 5 have world support for numerous LTE bands?

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 15, 2012

iDB first discovered traces of high-speed fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networking in iOS 5.1 code. Since then, multiple code hooks, hardware hints and credible sources have all but confirmed the industry's worst kept secret, that the next iPhone is widely expected to work over 4G LTE networks.

But is it going to be a worldphone in respect to 4G? What if it doesn't support a variety of LTE frequencies in use today? A new report from South Korea alleges that local telcos have been attempting to talk Apple into supporting the 1.8-gigahertz LTE frequency used in the country. This implies that the iPhone 5 may not support the numerous 4G frequencies in use across the world...

Claimed photos of new iPhone’s motherboard surface

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Surprise, more photos of leaked next-generation iPhone parts have surfaced. Over the past few days we've seen images of what are believed to be the battery and dock connector of Apple's next smartphone. And now this.

New pictures of a purported next-gen iPhone piece have popped up online this evening. This time, the component in the photos is said to be the motherboard of the upcoming handset...

T-Mobile engineer talks iPhone, LTE and failed AT&T merger

Cody Lee ∙ August 8, 2012

Out of the top four carriers in the US, T-Mobile is the only one that doesn't officially carry the iPhone, or have an active LTE network. As you can imagine, this has sparked a lot of curiosity in the company's plans for the future.

Well, for all of you curious types, we've come across a Reddit AMA that has been going on all morning with a T-Mobile RF engineer. He's been answering questions regarding the iPhone, the carrier's plans for LTE and more...

AT&T to pull the plug on its 2G network by 2017

Sébastien Page ∙ August 3, 2012

If you're still using the first generation iPhone, I have two pieces of news for you: a good, and a bad one.

The bad news is that AT&T will be ending its 2G Edge network by 2017. The good news is that it gives you the opportunity to upgrade to other iPhone models, potentially the iPhone 11 which should hit the shelves sometimes in 2017...