PATREONItems tagged with LTE
Verizon Wireless has announced to 8,500 customers in rural parts of the country that it will no longer service them and all of their phones on their accounts as of October 17. The reason that Verizon Wireless is ditching these 8,500 rural customers, that have a total of 19,000 lines, is excessive data usage on networks owned by Verizon Wireless's roaming partners. In rural parts of the country where Verizon lacks its own wireless network, the carrier has partnered with smaller regional wireless carriers and allows its customers to roam on those networks free of charge. With the return of "unlimited" data plans, Verizon has decided this was a bad move and it is ditching those customers despite...
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Earlier this week, the third generation Apple Watch -- the Series 3 -- was announced alongside the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. While the Apple Watch Series 3 looks pretty much like its predecessors from the outside, customers now have the choice to add LTE connectivity with a starting price of $399. However, we're learning that at least one U.S. wireless carrier is instituting what looks to be a money grab from customers -- and it's not that carrier that you might expect. MacRumors first noticed earlier this morning that T-Mobile will throttle the Apple Watch Series 3 to 3G speeds, capping out at 512kb/s on its network. The language that describes this limitation was first noticed on...
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Apple first showed off the original Apple Watch (now called Apple Watch Series 1) back in September 2014, and it officially launched in April 2015. The Apple Watch Series 2 launched a year ago, bringing with it a faster S2 processor and water resistance. Today, Apple is announcing the Apple Watch Series 3, and it brings perhaps the biggest change yet to the platform: LTE connectivity. For obvious reasons (cost and battery life), LTE connectivity is optional on the Apple Watch Series 3, but for those that do choose the option, they will be granted true independence from the iPhone. You won’t have to worry about juggling a new phone number, since the Apple Watch Series 3 will use the same phone...
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T-Mobile isn't messing around, it wants to be the biggest carrier in the U.S. and it is working hard to make that a reality. The third-place wireless carrier has promised to roll out a nationwide 5G network by 2020, and positively cleaned up at the FCC 600 MHz spectrum auction held earlier this year. T-Mobile dropped $8 billion in its spectrum bid to buy 45 percent of all available 600 MHz spectrum that the FCC was selling off, giving it the largest chunk of spectrum sold at auction by far. The catch for now is that in some urban areas around the country that spectrum is still in use by television broadcasts. For now, T-Mobile is starting the rollout of its 600 MHz network in rural America where...
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The lead-up to the launch of the iPhone 8 has been especially fruitful this year. In fact, we would say that the design and feature leaks of upcoming products has been unprecedented thanks in part to Apple’s own HomePod firmware leak. Today, we’re getting further confirmation about the arrival of an Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE. Venerable Apple insider Mark Gurman first revealed the existence of the LTE Apple Watch earlier this month. The very next day, references to the next generation Apple Watch with LTE were found in the leaked HomePod firmware. Today, CNBC has corroborated those reports, saying that instead of using a traditional nanoSIM like the iPhone, the Apple Watch will instead use...
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T-Mobile likes to call itself the "Uncarrier," a self-imposed nickname that references its propensity to do things differently than other wireless carriers. And to T-Mobile's credit, it does march to the beat of its own drum. Where the complaints come into play is with network coverage and speed. That is something T-Mobile has been working on—just two months ago it acquired the largest chunk of 600MHz spectrum with a $7.99 billion bid, and now T-Mobile is pounding its chest over being the first national wireless provider to make LTE-U available to customers. LTE-U, or LTE-Unlicensed, is essentially a faster version of 4G LTE. It uses publicly available 5GHz airwaves—the same that are typically...
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Sprint may be the fourth-place U.S. wireless carrier and panned for its spotty nationwide coverage, but the company is already laying the groundwork to boost its LTE network to gigabit speeds. The company is proudly proclaiming that it is the very first carrier to deploy Gigabit Class LTE on a commercial network. Sprint demonstrated this new high watermark for wireless connectivity in the U.S. in New Orleans, with a prototype Motorola smartphone that is using Qualcomm’s brand new Snapdragon 835 SoC and Snapdragon X16 Gigabit Class LTE modem. Motorola will debut the production version of this smartphone most likely sometime later this year for use on Sprint’s network.Image Source: WirelessWeek...
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It was right around this time a year ago when Qualcomm introduced the X16 LTE, its first LTE Advanced Pro modem supporting up to 1Gbps downloads. Fast forward to today and Qualcomm says it's begun sampling its Snapdragon X20, the company's second-generation gigabit LTE chipset with faster downlink performance and seventh-generation LTE multimode modem. The modem and its new Snapdragon X20 LTE receiver is the first commercially announced gigabit LTE chipset designed to deliver fiber-like LTE Category 18 download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps, a 20 percent improvement over its previous generation chipset, Qualcomm says. It also allows support for up to 5x20MHz downlink Carrier Aggregation (CA) across...
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T-Mobile recently signaled the end of data plans as you know them with the introduction of a singular option (with add-ons, of course), taking jabs at Verizon in the process, and now it's claiming bragging rights over its biggest rival in network performance. Make that more bragging rights—T-Mobile says its 4G LTE network is already the fastest, and now it's even speedier thanks to the roll out of 4x4 MIMO. "Verizon loves to scream about the massive amounts of money they’ve spent on their network over the last decade. It is a staggering, mind-blowing sum of money. But, here’s something even more mind-blowing: Verizon has spent billions on their network, and it is still slower than T-Mobile, and...
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LG is just a tad late bringing its anticipated Action Cam with LTE connectivity to market (the company stated in May that it would ship in June), but it's now starting to roll out, first to South Korea and then followed by other "key markets" in the coming weeks. It's not entirely clear when and if LG will launch its Action Cam in the U.S.We assume the U.S. is considered a key market, especially for something like this, which will go toe-to-toe with the GoPro line. The big selling point here is the built-in LTE connectivity that allows users to record and stream their adventures in real-time to YouTube Live and other online services without having to tap into their smartphones. That's a trick...
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Google’s Project Fi Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service has been an intriguing value proposition for smartphone users since its introduction over a year ago. Project Fi allows you to use Wi-Fi (whenever possible) for data and calls and can switch to cellular carriers (selected based on signal strength) when out of Wi-Fi range. When Project Fi launched, it did so with carrier support from T-Mobile and Sprint in the United States. Last month, Google brought on U.S. Cellular to further expand coverage so that “users have a connection nearly 99% of the time, and spend about 95% of cellular time on LTE.” But what about international service? Google has always offers international coverage...
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Move over GoPro and make room for LG and its new Action Cam with LTE connectivity. A first in the action camera space, LTE connectivity is built right into the device so users can stream their adventures in real-time to YouTube Live and other services, all without having to use a smartphone. That's something not even GoPro can do, at least not yet.LG's Action Cam is built to go wherever you go, be it the four-wheeling on the dunes or scuba diving in the ocean, the latter of which you'll need an optional waterproof case that will be available in the third quarter. Even without it, the Action Cam is IP67 rated, meaning it's protected from dust and sand, and can withstand being submersed in up to...
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If you're one of those rare folks that happen to have an unlimited plan without any caveats, you're in a very enviable situation. It's clear that most carriers don't want to offer unlimited packages at all, and if they do, they typically raise the price enough over time to encourage subscribers hop over to a metered package. And then we have those carriers that like to call packages "unlimited" when they're anything but. Are we ever going to live in a world where unlimited mobile data doesn't seem like such a luxury? Not if Verizon Chief Financial Officer Francis Shammo has anything to do with it. He's gone on record to say, "I've been pretty public saying the unlimited model does not work in...
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We all love flagship devices, but when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, mid-range products are often the most compelling. That probably won't change anytime soon, not with Samsung unveiling its Exynos 7 Oca 7870, a potent System-on-Chip (SoC) designed for mid-range smartphones. The most impressive thing about the latest addition to the Exynos 7 line is that it's built on a 14-nanometer FinFET process technology. No small thing, Samsung is claiming a whopping 30 percent reduction in power consumption compared to mobile chips built with a 28nm High-k Metal Gate process technology, such as Samsung's own Exynos 7850. For consumers, the upside there is better battery life. Though the...
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Streaming video already accounts for the bulk of mobile traffic, and by 2020, Cisco reckons it will account for 75 percent mobile data. Higher resolution feeds and video sharing apps like Snapchat and Vine are all driving this trend, but can the wireless networks we use to access all this data keep up? There's a concerted effort between industry heavyweights to ensure it can. One example is that AT&T has partnered up with Ericsson and Intel to help test 5G network technology. The first tests will be conducted in a laboratory setting in Austin, Texas in the second quarter of this year, followed by outdoor tests sometime in the summer. The transition to 5G will be a major development in mobile....
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T-Mobile might be the third largest carrier in the US, but looking at things through different angles can make it #1. We can see this with the help of the latest results out of OpenSignal, a firm that collects data through real users (who opt-in to use its mobile app). For overall coverage, Verizon reigns supreme. It also does well in overall download speeds, tying with T-Mobile. Beyond that, T-Mobile shows the best latency and download speeds over 3G, which gives it enough of an edge to beat out Verizon, and AT&T and Sprint, for that matter. In LTE speeds, T-Mobile also topped Verizon with average download speeds of 12.26Mbps versus 11.98Mbps. Out of five metrics, AT&T didn't place...
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T-Mobile, now the third largest wireless carrier in the United States (behind Verizon and AT&T), is planning a series of special promotions for the holiday season. It's called Un-carrier Unwrapped and for the next month, T-Mobile will introduce a "special gift" for customers each week, starting with three full months of unlimited high-speed 4G LTE data. The three free months of data applies to all active Simple Choice postpaid customers, including business customers. Once a qualified user blows past his or her monthly data allotment and Data Stash, they can keep going without incurring any additional fees. As for how many customers realistically will benefit from this, T-Mobile didn't provide...
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If you have an Android smartphone running on AT&T or Verizon’s wireless network, you could be at the mercy of hackers according to a new advisory posted to the Carnegie Mellon University CERT database. The vulnerability, which was discovered by a group of South Korean researchers, targets LTE wireless networks. LTE uses packet switching instead of older circuit switching to transfer data back and forth over the Internet. The researchers say that the new packet switching allows malicious parties to use the SIP protocol to enable a new generation of attack vectors via wireless networks. The researchers say that if exploited, denial of service attacks can be carried out on a wireless network...
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T-Mobile's outspoken CEO John Legere has never minced words when addressing the competition and he's been known to ruffle some feathers on occasion (you can ask Sprint boss Marcelo Claure about that). However, his latest Internet tirade isn't directed at Sprint or Verizon or AT&T, it's at a minority of customers who have been "stealing data" from T-Mobile through unauthorized tethering. When customers purchase T-Mobile's unlimited 4G LTE plan for their smartphones, they receive a fixed amount of LTE for tethering at no extra cost. Legere frames the offering as a courtesy for those times when broadband access isn't available or convenient. Should a customer reach their high-speed tethering...
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Perhaps Microsoft and AT&T didn’t want the announcement to get lost in the hoopla surrounding the launch of Windows 10 next Wednesday, but the 4G LTE version of the Surface 3 tablet is set to bow this Friday, July 24th. Microsoft first announced the Surface 3 with LTE back in late March, and told us at the time that the device would ship before the end of the summer. The Surface 3 with LTE is tied to AT&T’s network and will be priced at $599. That price will get you an Intel Atom processor with 2GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a 10.8-inch 1080p display. Interestingly enough, opting for a two-year contract won’t knock much off the price of the tablet, as you’ll still pay a hefty...
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A recent and rather extensive test of 4G LTE networks in several parts of the United States revealed that competition is heating up in the high-speed wireless space. It also showed that Sprint, home of the "cut your bill in half" promotion and enticing unlimited data plans, still hasn't caught up with its competitors, though it's improving. The folks at PCMag ran 131,000 test cycles in more than 30 U.S. cities across the country. They partnered up with Chevrolet, which lent the team three vehicles equipped with AT&T OnStar 4G LTE. Thousands of miles later, Verizon Wireless emerged as the big winner with America's fastest mobile network, delivering...
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NVIDIA, a major player in the graphics chip market, announced today that it's winding down its Icera modem operations in the second quarter of its fiscal 2016 and is open to selling off the technology. So ends NVIDIA's short-lived plans to break into the smartphone market, as it's now focused on other categories, including gaming, automotive, and cloud computing. The chip maker acquired UK-based Icera in 2011 for $367 million and, at the time, had big plans of getting into mobile. Icera was an attractive buy for NVIDIA because of its baseband technology, and in particular its line of software modems that could be used in a number of wireless devices. Part of NVIDIA's hope was to bake Icera into...
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