Items tagged with 4G LTE
Google continues to make its comparatively low-cost Google Fi wireless service a more intriguing option. It already has the advantage of friendly billing versus what the four major wireless carriers in the US charge, those being AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Now on the usability side, Google Fi is enabling RCS messaging by default on eligible phones. RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging is a communications protocol with more bells and whistles than regular SMS text messaging. Similar to iMessages that is used on iOS devices, RCS offers things like read receipts, video calls, encryption, and more. "With RCS in Messages, you can do and share more when you message friends, family...
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Earlier today we reported that T-Mobile was taking AT&T to task for its decision to seemingly deceive customers by changing 4G LTE labels on consumers' smartphones to ”5G E” with a software update. 5G E stands for 5G Evolution, which in AT&T parlance is a speed-boosted extension of existing 4G LTE wireless technology. Now, the nation's largest wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless, is also calling out AT&T. While Verizon technically launched a 5G wireless network, it is limited to just a few cities in the United States at the moment and is only available for a fixed home broadband connection. So, while AT&T might have the only "true" operational...
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The whole industry seems to be pivoting to 5G wireless technology, but that doesn't mean everyone is giving up on 4G LTE. In fact, the United States' largest wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless, is breathing some new life into the standard. With the help of Nokia and Qualcomm, Verizon has demonstrated 4G LTE speeds topping out at 1.45Gbps in a live commercial environment. To achieve these breakneck speeds, Verizon is making full use of the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) standard including six-channel carrier aggregation, 256 QAM and 4x4 MIMO technologies. This in combination with Verizon's own PCS and AWS spectrum along a Nokia AirScale base station and Qualcomm Snapdragon X24 LTE modem is what allowed...
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ordered a resident in Brooklyn, New York to cease his Bitcoin mining operation after it was discovered that the hardware he was using to mine Bitcoin was causing interference with 4G LTE signals on T-Mobile's wireless network. If that is truly the case, this incident adds a new wrinkle to the already controversial world of cryptocurrency. In a letter to the person responsible, the FCC said it used "direction finding techniques" to locate the source of the offending hardware, in this case an Antminer s5 Bitcoin miner, a popular mining ASIC that is purpose built for Bitcoin mining. These units sell for several hundred dollars and are capable of mining...
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If you currently own a smartphone (and who doesn't these days), it's likely rocking a 4G LTE modem. The fastest available LTE modems, like Qualcomm's Snapdragon X20, are capable of reaching [theoretical] top speeds of 1.2Gbps. However, Qualcomm isn't done with 4G LTE technology just yet, which is why it today is introducing the Snapdragon X24. The Snapdragon X24 is the world's first Category 20 LTE modem, and supports download speeds of up to 2Gbps. And while most of us have marveled at the 10nm manufacturing process that is used for today's flagship smartphones, the Snapdragon X24 is built on a new 7nm FinFET process. This is Qualcomm's third-generation gigabit-class 4G LTE modem, and doubles...
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In an effort to improve beef up its nationwide wireless broadband network, Verizon has agreed to purchase fiber optic cabling from Corning for $1.05 billion, which will be paid out over the next three years, the two companies announced today. As part of the agreement, Corning will provide the nation's largest wireless carrier up to 20 million kilometers (12.4 million miles) of optical fiber each year from 2018 through 2020. "Our plans identified a shortfall in fiber supply, and Verizon has been working with business teams to forecast demand and fill supply gaps with existing suppliers. Securing the required volume of optical fiber and hardware solutions with Corning will ensure we meet our planned...
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Verizon is truly working its magic behind the scenes to increase connection speeds for customers. Around this time last month, the company announced that it is testing a 10 gigabit optical fiber internet service that will offer 10Gbps download/2Gbps upload speeds and could eventually offer peak download speeds of 80Gbps. Today we’re learning that Verizon is also working on boosting its wireless speeds by testing out 5G wireless technology. So what exactly does 5G wireless technology entail? Verizon is being pretty coy at this point, as field tests aren’t expected to start until 2016. However, the company does say that 5G provides 50 times the throughput of its existing 4G LTE network and that...
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If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That’s is the case with the second generation Moto E, which was announced this morning by Motorola. Leading up to the launch of the new smartphone, a product listing on Best Buy’s website suggested that the device would carry a price tag of $99. However, reality hit us today, and the actual retail price is a more understandable $149. However, all is not lost because Motorola has made some significant improvements to the second generation Moto E, with the headlining feature being the addition of LTE connectivity. Motorola also boosted processing performance, moving from a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 to a quad-core Snapdragon 410. Storage...
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T-Mobile showed up a wee bit late to the 4G LTE party, having first launched its LTE network in barely more than half a dozen markets six months ago. Making up for lost time, the fourth largest wireless carrier in the U.S. announced that its 4G LTE network now reaches 180 million people in 154 metro areas across the country.. This is on top of T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network, which the company claims reaches 228 million people. While T-Mobile's 4G LTE expansion over the past six months is impressive, it has a long way to go before it catches up with most of the competition, save for Sprint. It's also worth noting that T-Mobile only added 38 new markets covering an additional 23 million people since...
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Verizon Wireless likes to boast about its 4G LTE network being the most robust in the business, and by the end of next year, Big Red will put its money where its mouth is at by offering smartphones that only run on 4G LTE. It's a bold move, but Big Red isn't making the jump blindly and hoping for the best. Just the opposite, VZW has worked hard to roll out an expansive 4G LTE network, and with much of the groundwork now in place, the wireless carrier will begin focusing on adding voice over LTE (VoLTE), a required feature if it's to offer 4G LTE-only phones. "We will get this right. Our brand is built on reliability," Verizon Chief Network Officer Nicki Palmer said during a conference call with...
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It's getting to be a little tough keeping up with all of Samsung's Galaxy devices, even those among the same family. To wit, there's there's the Galaxy S4 (Samsung's flagship smartphone), Galaxy S4 mini (a phone for budget shoppers), Galaxy S4 Active (a rugged smartphone), and Galaxy S4 zoom (hybrid camera/smartphone) -- phew! Soon you'll be able to add to the growing list of Galaxy S4 devices a new model smartphone with faster download speeds. Samsung's working on a special version of the Galaxy S4 that will use LTE-Advanced 4G technology. The big benefit of LTE-Advanced is that it offers data transmission speeds that are up to twice as fast as traditional 4G LTE. As Samsung explains it, a movie...
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Yes, there really is a Kalamazoo, as shops in the Michigan city like to point out on touristy T-shirts (I should know, I live in the Kalamazoo area). And yes, AT&T's 4G LTE service is now available in Kalamazoo, offering residents mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. It's one of several cities in which AT&T has either just activated 4G LTE, or plans to do so in the coming months. AT&T is feverishly trying to catch up with Verizon Wireless, the market leader in terms of 4G LTE coverage, which covers almost 500 markets. Many of the cities AT&T announced today -- including Lake City, Texarkana, New Iberia, Spokane, Batavia, Asheville, and a whole bunch more -- will...
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Good news for those of you who pre-ordered the Wi-Fi + Cellular version of the iPad mini. The waiting game is almost over, as Apple has begun notifying customers that the 4G LTE-equipped tablet will start shipping out in the next five days. Despite carrying a pricing premium over competing (and slightly smaller) 7-inch tablets like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD, Apple's iPad mini is off to a fast start. Apple almost immediately sold out of its initial batch of Wi-Fi models, and just recently announced that it sold 3 million iPad mini and 4th generation iPad tablets combined over the first three-day weekend of sales, a figure that only included Wi-Fi models. Apple is still short on stock. New...
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Verizon Wireless already boasts the most robust 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the United States, and now it's announcing plans to expand to new territories well ahead of schedule, further distancing itself from the competition. On October 18th (a week from tomorrow), Big Red will flip the 4G LTE switch in its 400th market, at which time it will have officially met its goal of rolling out high speed cellular access to 400 territories two months ahead of schedule. "This milestone and the growing success of our 4G LTE network signal that we at Verizon Wireless are keeping our commitment to our customers to provide them with the very best mobile broadband experience in the nation with the...
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