AT&T UE lineup - more and more choice

Smartphones

1. Apple iPhone 5 A1428, announced 2012.09.12
2. HTC One X, 2012
3. Pantech Flex, announced in Aug.2012, "coming in months"
4. LG Escape, smartphone, Sep. 2012
5. Motorola Atrix HD LTE, Aug 2012
6. Nokia Lumia 900, 2012
7. Samsung Galaxy Express, 2012.09
8. Samsung Galaxy Note, 2012
9. Samsung Galaxy Note 2, 2012.09
10. Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro, 2012.09
11. Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, smartphone, (US$79.99 in Aug.2012)
12. Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket HD, smartphone,  2012
13. Samsung Focus 2, smartphone, 2012
14. Sony Xperia ion, 2012

Tablets

1. Amazon Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE, Nov.2012
2. Pantech Element, 2012
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, 2012.09 

Verizon now is not so shiny as for the choice?

 Smartphones

1. Apple iPhone 5 A1429, announced 2012.09.12
2. HTC Desire 4G, rumors Sep. 2012
3. HTC Rezound 4G, ..2012.09..
4. LG Intuition 4G LTE, expecting Sep.6
5. LG Lucid 4G, 2012.08
6. Motorola Droid RAZR HD, 2012.09
7. Motorola Droid RAZR M 4G LTE, 2012.09
8. Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX HD, 2012.09
9. Pantech Marauder. Announced 2012.07.31
10. Verizon HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE. Review 2012.07.28 
11. Pantech Star Q. Leak 2012.07.28  
12. Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2012
13. Samsung Galaxy Note2, smartphones, 2012.09
14. Samsung Galaxy S3 2012
15. Samsung Galaxy Stellar, 2012.08

Tablets

1. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 4G, tablet, from Aug.17, 2012
   
   
   *) Lists are not complete

Harris InTouch RPC-200 - for public safety LTE networs

Ruggedized LTE smartphones for commercial carrier networks and band 14 public-safety LTE systems.

• Android 4.1
• band 14 LTE 700 MHz 
• PTT button
• Waterproof speakers
• Noise-cancellation technology
• PTT P25 

Availability exp. - May 2013

Price exp. - ~$1000 by May 2013

News

2012.09.28 Harris Introduces new public-safety LTE smartphone 

LightSquared asks to share weather-balloon spectrum for its LTE network

Embattled satellite carrier LightSquared proposed on Friday that the government let it share spectrum with federal uses such as weather balloons so it can get enough spectrum to launch its proposed national LTE mobile network.

LightSquared would give up on deploying LTE in one band of spectrum that it had been planning to use for that network before the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved to kill its plans over interference with GPS receivers. In the proposal it submitted on Friday, the company also offered to hold off on using the rest of that controversial spectrum until the FCC can carry out a rulemaking process that could take years.

The new plan would give the carrier 30MHz of frequencies on which to operate the LTE network. That's 10MHz less than it had wanted but still comparable to the amount of spectrum Verizon Wireless and AT&T are using for their LTE systems, which in most areas use just 20MHz.

What LightSquared wants to do is take one 5MHz band that it already uses for its satellite service (at 1670-1675MHz) and combine that with the next band up (1675-1680MHz), which is used for federal purposes including National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration weather balloons. The government could keep using that band, while LightSquared's LTE network would share it.

This would give LightSquared 10MHz for downstream traffic to customers' LTE devices. Another pair of bands that it uses for satellite now, which total 20MHz, would be used for LTE traffic going upstream from users' mobile devices.

//computerworld.com

Webinars: Carrier aggregation—(one) key enabler for LTE-Advanced

GMT Standard Time - Tue, Nov 13, 2012 04:00 PM

Who should attend:

• Engineering and lab managers
• Research and principal engineers
• RF and transceiver design engineers
• Software and protocol development engineers
• Network and systems & test engineers
• Application and support engineers 

//eetimes.com

Samsung Galaxy Metrix 4G - spec. updated

• Android Gingerbread, UI is more or less basic Android
• 1 GHz, single-core (!) 
• 2.15 GB of available internal storage, microSD up to 32 GB 
• 4.0", touchscreen 800x480,
• 5 mpix rear-facing camera, LED flash, autofocus (slow), camcorder @720p and VGA @30 fps
• 1.3 mpix front-facing camera
• Slide-out QWERTY
• CDMA EV-DO 850 / 1900 MHz
• LTE 700
• WiFi 802.11 B/G/N 5GHz WPA2
• BT
• video H.264, MPEG, DivX, Xvid play support @720p not @1080p
• 3.5 mm
• plastic, dark chrome ring arond the edge
• 4.96" x 2.54 " x 0.55" , 5.8 ounces

Price: US$180 ($130 in 4G areas)

Operators:

USA, U.S.Cellular from 2012.08.24

Opinions

Clear voice quality. Roomy five-row QWERTY keyboard. /pcmag.com
Bulky. Ancient, sluggish Gingerbread OS.  /pcmag.com

Reviews

2012.09.28 Samsung Galaxy Metrix 4G 

Orange Luxembourg ready to launch LTE Oct.29

Plan to launch LTE services Oct. 29, 2012. Tariff with unlimited data, montly euro 39 ($50.2). USB-dongles, MiFi spots and tablets at launch, smartphones "in a pipeline". The operator revealed that the deployment of LTE in the 2.5GHz frequency band was likely to present a serious risk of interference to neighbouring countries.
Rival Tango confirmed that its own LTE launch was set for 1 October, probably with the smartphones from the launch date.

Vodacom (S.Africa) to launch LTE by year-end

The first cities to be lit up will be Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. The Vodacom (S.Africa) is refarming its 1800 MHz spectrum, which requires a balancing act so that existing customers are not disadvantaged. \\itweb.co.za 

Alaska Communications to launch 4G LTE

Fairbanks and Juneau will likely be the first communities outside of Southcentral to experience 4G LTE service when Alaska Communications (USA) launches the faster network. GCI and Alaska Communications are in the process of a major deal to combine their wireless infrastructure assets. The Alaska Wireless Network, to be two-thirds owned by GCI and a third by ACS, has a target completion of the regulatory and financial components in time for a mid-2013 launch. The companies will maintain separate retail and marketing operations. //alaskajournal.com

AT&T's MiFi Liberate LTE is first touch-screen hot spot

What would you say to an LTE hot spot that connects up to 10 Wi-Fi devices and comes with a 2.8-inch touch screen? It is Novatel Wireless MiFi Liberate.

The first touch-screen hot spot

• 2.8" touch screen
• up to 10 WiFi devices 
• 11 hours of continious use on its battery. 

Operators

1. USA, AT&T, 2012.09

//cnet.com

LTE1800 a fifth the cost of 2.6GHz: Deutsche Telekom

David Haszledine, Network Economics Manager at DT, told Avren Events' HetNet conference that rolling out an LTE network in 1800 MHz spectrum could be a quarter or a fifth as cheap as achieving the same network in 2.6 GHz spectrum.

In Austria, where T-Mobile has an obligation to provide 25% population coverage via LTE at 2.6GHz, the budget submission from the network team was "painful", Haszeldine said. In-building coverage in areas of thick-walled buildings was proving particularly problematic, he said.

Asked by Mobile Europe what the submission might have looked like if T-Mobile Austria had, like its EE cousin in the UK, 1800 MHz spectrum to work in, Haszeldine said, "I have to be careful because I have seen cost comparisons of 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2.6 GHz LTE that are so secret there are no electronic copies. But I will say that 1800 is cheaper by factors, perhaps by a quarter or a fifth."

"I think that 1800 will become the de facto LTE standard, not just because of the iPhone 5 but because of the business benefits if offers operators," he said. Of course, network economics also put a premium on the digital dividend 800 MHz spectrum that Ofcom is auctioning, and may drive the price of that spectrum up accordingly.

//mobileeurope.co.uk

Orange, Vodafone disclose LTE launch plans

Orange Romania CEO Jean-Francois Fallacher has told local business daily Ziarul Financiar (ZF) that following the successful conclusion of the government’s spectrum auction earlier this week, the cellco plans to introduce Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in Bucharest by the end of this year. The network will utilise frequencies in the 1800MHz band.

Meanwhile, in a separate report by ZF, Vodafone Romania CEO Inaki Berroeta, has suggested that his company will inaugurate its own 4G service early next year. ‘We are very pleased with the results of telecom auction that brought us the spectrum needed to further develop our mobile data strategy based on LTE technology. Vodafone will be able to launch 4G services in early 2013, which will allows to maintain our competitive edge. In the near future we will begin to perform the test on our network,’ Berroeta said.

\\telegeography.com 

Army examines feasibility of integrating 4G LTE with tactical network

The U.S. Army employed a 4G cellular network this summer at its integrated capabilities testbed at Fort Dix, N.J.; this was done to address integration with current network designs and to enable actionable intelligence for dismounted squads.

//dvidshub.net

Mindspeed Set For LTE Speed

I have identified one company in the small cell wireless base station market that stands to gain by this network build out. The company is Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. (MSPD) which is a fabless chip design company headquartered in Newport Beach, California. With its roots as part of Rockwell's Semiconductor division, it was spun off as a wholly owned subsidiary of Conexant in 1999 and later launched as a standalone public company in 2003, listed on NASDAQ as MSPD.

The company designs and sells a wide range of silicon chips for network infrastructure of the wired and wireless communications industry.

Small cell wireless LTE is no longer a niche technology as it is now being deployed and has become an integral part of the major carrier's network plans. There are currently 5 types of small cell base stations that Mindspeed provides SoC's for.

//seekingalpha.com

MTN LTE network plans revealed - one more 1800

MTN expects to have 400–500 Long Term Evolution (LTE) sites live by the end of 2012, chief technology officer of MTN SA, Kanagaratnam Lambotharan, recently told journalists at a press event. //mybroadband.co.za

More about MTN (South Africa)

Sprint brings LTE to parts of Kansas, Illinois and Massachusetts

Sprint (NYSE:S) today announced availability of 4G LTE to customers in Lawrence, Kan.; Topeka, Kan.; Wichita, Kan.; Waukegan-Lake County, Ill.; and Barnstable-Hyannis/Mid-Cape, Mass. Sprint's wireless customers in these metro areas will benefit from the speed, value and simplicity of the Sprint 4G LTE experience. Through its exceptional selection of smartphones and a Truly UnlimitedSM data plan, Sprint offers an unbeatable package for wireless users. //engadget.com

VoLTE billing architecture explained

Charging can be based on

• Duration Based Charging
• Event based charging
• Volume based charging

//lteconference.wordpress.com

Movistar wins extra 1900MHz spectrum

Movistar Venezuela, part of the Telefonica group, has announced that the country’s telecoms regulator, the Comision Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (Conatel) has awarded it an additional allocation of 20MHz of frequencies in the 1900MHz band (band 2).

Alongside the announcement of its new frequency award, Movistar Venezuela said that it has increased its 2012 infrastructure investment budget to VEF2.3 billion (USD535 million), mainly to expand capacity of its 3G+ network, by installing 230 new cell sites and upgrading 860 additional base stations nationwide by the end of this year, which will near-double its data network capacity. In the next three years Movistar expects to invest a total of VEF10 billion, including spending on LTE development.

//telegeography.com

LG Electronics launches its new 4G Optimus True HD LTE smartphone in Saudi Arabia and Middle East

With a powerful 1.5GHz dual-core processor runs on the blazing fast 4G LTE network, and has the ability to reach speeds of up to 100 Mbps on ZAIN LTE Network. \\ameinfo.com

More details:
LG 4G Optimus True HD 
Zain (Saudi Arabia)

Sprint marks 1 million LTE devices sold

Speaking at a conference in New York, CEO Dan Hesse noted that Sprint has moved some one million LTE devices -- a number that's likely to keep growing, as the carrier continues to roll out coverage. 

//engadget.com 

AT&T launches LTE in 10 new markets

AT&T announced this week that it is turning on LTE in the following 10 locations:

• Birmingham, Ala.
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Fayetteville, N.C.
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Memphis, Tenn.
• Pittsburgh, Penn.
• Philadelphia, Penn.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• Seattle, Wash.
• Wilmington, Dele.

AT&T launched LTE in nine markets last week and is on schedule to flip the switch in 34 new markets by the end of the year. With this latest rollout, AT&T's LTE coverage now extends to 66 markets and over 74 million people.  //appleinsider.com 

Verizon lights up additional LTE markets ahead of iPhone 5 launch

 Verizon Wireless (VZ) on Thursday flipped the LTE switch on in 19 new markets across the country. In addition, the nation’s largest carrier also expanded its high-speed network in 20 existing markets. 

New 4G LTE Markets

• American Falls, Idaho
• Americus, Georgia
• Aspen-Snowmass, Colorado
• Billing and Helena, Montana
• Bremerton, Colorado
• Coffeyvilley, Kansas
• Cheyenne, Wyoming
• Ellijay, Georgia
• Emporia, Kansas
• Greely Colorado
• Lawrence, Kansas
• Marion County, Ohio
• Moultry, Georgia
• Merced, California
• Pueblo, Colorado
• Richmond, Indiana
• Silverdale, Colorado
• Statesboro, Georgia
• Tifton, Georgia

//bgr.com

MetroPCS Nabs ZTE's First U.S. 4G LTE Phone

First ZTE LTE phone in USA

Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Qualcomm Snapdragon, 1.2 GHz

512 RAM, 4 GB flash, microSD

4.3" WVGA, touch-screen

5 mpix

HDMI output

Dolby Surround Audio

dual microphones with noise cancellations

Operators

USA, MetroPCS, 2012.09

Price

US$219 + tax after a mail-in rebate 

\\pcmag.com  

VP product management, MetroPCS: “With RCS users will have a unified way to connect in real-time”

Solyman Ashrafi is vice president of product management at MetroPCS and is on the LTE North America advisory board. He is speaking on the Voice over LTE track on Day Two of the LTE North America 2012 conference, taking place on the 14-15th November 2012 at the Fairmont Dallas Hotel, Texas. Ahead of the conference we speak to him about where MetroPCS is with its VoLTE deployment and what the challenges it expects to face in the future.

What have been the main developments for you over the last 12 months with regards to LTE?

In early August MetroPCS reached another innovation milestone by announcing the world’s first commercial launch of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, the availability of the world’s first VoLTE-capable handsets, and the first sale of a VoLTE-capable handset.

The addition of VoLTE capabilities to MetroPCS’ 4G LTE handsets is transparent to consumers as they continue to enjoy all the voice and 4G LTE data services with which they are already familiar. Calls to and from the handset will use VoLTE, regardless of the handset or network used on the other end of the call. //telecoms.com

Clearwire to start major TDD-LTE network construction in Q4

Sprint is Clearwire's largest wholesale customer and shareholder and plans to use Clearwire's TDD-LTE network to augment its own FDD-LTE service. //fiercewireless.com

Clearwire has selected some of its TD-LTE vendors and expects to announce them in October. Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent are supplying AT&T and Verizon's respective LTE networks and are suppliers for Sprint, which is also buying infrastructure equipment from Samsung. 

Why O2 and Vodafone won't be reusing 900 MHz for 4G LTE

A number of reports have suggested that O2 and Vodafone have approached Ofcom about refarming the 900MHz band currently used for 2G/3G services for 4G LTE instead.

While the suggestion in itself could seem logical — after all, it's what EE did with the 1800MHz band and its 4G service will be launching shortly — the realities of the situation mean that such a move would be somewhere close to pointless with 900MHz. \\zdnet.com

at the moment band 20 is really not good solution for LTE

MTS, Nokia Siemens Networks launch Russia’s first #TD-LTE #4G network

Press-release, via LTE-depot. 

Liquid Net elements to help provide 4G services for 96% of Moscow territory by end of 2012

 

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has launched ultra-fast 4G mobile broadband services with speeds of up to 100 Mbps (megabits per second) in most of Moscow and 40 population centers in Moscow regions. Nokia Siemens Networks is the sole vendor for the launch, providing a complete Time Division Duplex Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE)* network and a range of comprehensive services. As part of the network, the company has provided its Single Radio Access Network (RAN) and Liquid Core based Evolved Packet Core (EPC).

 

“The launch of LTE services by MTS, on a par with leading LTE services around the world, reaffirms Russia's place among most technologically advanced economies. Our LTE network's high data throughput and superior reliability enable our customers to benefit from high quality multimedia applications with faster network access,” said Konstantin Markov, head of MTS macro-region, Moscow. "MTS is expanding mobile broadband services in Moscow, contributing to the region's development. Joint efforts by MTS and Nokia Siemens Networks, our long-standing partner, are focused on achieving LTE coverage in 96% of Moscow by the end of 2012. We also plan to double the coverage in Moscow provinces from the current level of coverage in 40 towns.”

 

“This TD-LTE network rollout, one of the largest TD-LTE networks in the world, is yet another example of our commitment to promote 4G technology globally,” said Vladimir Ulianov, head of MTS customer team at Nokia Siemens Networks. “To significantly enhance the mobile broadband experience for MTS customers, we applied our expertise in TD-LTE technology and strong services capabilities. Our radio and core network elements have built a reliable and flexible network to fulfill current and future data traffic demands driven by the drastically increasing use of smartphones.”

 

Under the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks has provided its Single RAN platform, based on its compact, energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station for the TD-LTE network. The company has migrated MTS’ complete network from WiMAX, deploying 2,200 advanced, multi-technology base stations from its mobile broadband offering. Nokia Siemens Networks has also provided its Liquid Core** basedEvolved Packet Core (EPC) platform, including Flexi Network Server (NS) and Flexi Network Gateway (NG).

 

As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks has provided its NetAct network management system to provide consolidated configuration, monitoring and network optimization. In addition, the company has provided its New Technology Home Location Register (NT-HLR)*** and Home Subscriber Server (HSS)****.

 

Nokia Siemens Networks has ensured a smooth rollout of the 4G network by providing network planning and optimization services for 4G and 2G/3G quality assurance, full turnkey solutions including site acquisition, project management, customer logistics, construction works and network implementation. Nokia Siemens Networks has also provided an end-to-end security solution for Packet Core and LTE Transport, including firewalls, a Certificate Authority and security gateways.

 

For more information on Nokia Siemens Networks’ mobile broadband capabilities, including a video overview, follow this link. To share your thoughts on the topic, join the discussion on Twitter using #mobilebroadband.

Voyager Mobile announces 4G LTE service

Voyager Mobile opens to New York residents, announces 4G LTE service and new $17 Unlimited Talk plan.

Voyager Mobile opens its doors to New York, making its low cost wireless service available to New York State residents. Voyager Mobile offers some of the nation's lowest cost, unlimited wireless plans, starting at $17 per month plus tax.

Voyager Mobile has also introduced 4G LTE into its lineup of low-cost wireless services. Voyager 4G LTE boasts download speeds of six to eight megabits per second (6-8 Mbps), nearly doubling the speeds of existing Voyager 4G WiMAX.

Voyager Mobile was one of the first prepaid wireless providers of 4G WiMAX, and now, with 4G LTE, the Samsung Galaxy S III, Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE, HTC EVO 4G LTE, and LG Viper 4G LTE are welcomed to the lineup of popular and powerful smartphones – still 100% contract-free. If 4G LTE service is not available in your area, simply utilize 3G data until the high-speed frenzy arrives in your hometown.

//heraldonline.com

Verizon expects 6 rural LTE carrier partners to launch by year-end

Verizon Wireless expects a total of six of its rural LTE program partners to offer commercial service by the end of the year.

Verizon announced its LRA initiative in June 2010. Under the program, Verizon shares access to its 700 MHz Upper C Block (band 13 700 MHz) spectrum with rural operators, who use their tower and backhaul assets to build an LTE network and market the LTE service under their own brands. Earlier this spring Oklahoma-based Pioneer Cellular and Wisconsin-based Cellcom became the first two carriers to launch commercial service under the program. Junker said Verizon expects four more by year-end, though he declined to name them.

Junker said that the program allows Verizon to have rural areas without the need for direct investment. The 17 carriers in the program cover 2.7 million POPs over 144,000 square-miles, for a density of 19 people covered per square mile.

Source

Vodafone, O2 could launch LTE in 900 MHz band

UK regulator Ofcom has said that there is nothing stopping EE’s rivals, such as Vodafone and O2, from putting in an application to alter their 900 MHz spectrum licence for LTE usage. A ruling in early 2011 meant that all operators are now free to use their 2G spectrum for 3G services, so extension of that same ruling to encompass 4G would be a small amend.

Potentially, this means that Everything Everywhere, the firm that owns the Orange, T-Mobile and new EE brand in the UK, could have its one-year monopoly on LTE in the market cut short. Its rivals would no longer have to wait for the UK LTE auction, scheduled for early next year, to launch competing 4G services.

//telecoms.com

Telstra Global Taps Tekelec for new LTE services

Telstra Global is offering LTE roaming services across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region using Tekelec's Diameter Signaling Router (DSR). Tekelec's market-leading DSR is providing the diameter signaling hub for Telstra Global's IPX service announced last month. It enables the secure exchange of authorization, authentication, billing, charging and network policies that use the diameter protocol to maintain subscribers' LTE services while visiting international markets.

"Operators are examining how to maximize the benefits that LTE networks provide, and international roaming is the first step," said Tejaswini Tilak, Global Head of Carrier Services at Telstra Global. "Tekelec is a leader in this space, with the scalability, security and vision for us to support the region's LTE requirements and capitalize on increased international mobility and exploding mobile data consumption."

Telstra Global IPX Service offers a platform that enables mobile operators to introduce new services and applications, to take advantage of ever more popular capabilities such as mobile gaming and video streaming with superior end user experience. It is provided over Telstra Global's scalable and managed IP MPLS core network which maximizes traffic on both legacy and new mobile platforms, allowing Telstra Global to partner with mobile operators that have already embarked on or are heading towards their LTE journey.

//the-press-news.com

ZyXEL Debuts LTE Gateway Series for Fixed Broadband

On Monday ZyXEL Communications introduced its all-in-one LTE512x series of fixed wireless CPE (customer-premises equipment) here in the States. The gadgets deliver 4G fixed broadband Internet along with a complete range of connectivity options – Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, VoIP ports and support for smart home services like home automation and monitoring.

 "Given ZyXEL's deep heritage of innovation in 3G, Wi-Fi and WiMAX technologies, the announcement is a natural progression in the company's growth, particularly as a leader in LTE adoption," a rep told Tom's on Monday. "The series works with both the AT&T and Verizon networks bands."

 The LTE512x series is designed with a high performance LTE module and a MIMO antenna array supplying up to 100 Mbps (downlink) and 50 Mbps (uplink) connectivity. The new series kicks off with the LTE5121 supporting Band 4/17 and the LTE5122 supporting Band 13.

\\tomshardware.com

Three LTE bands is better to use, - Smart's decision

Smart Communications Inc. (Philippines) announced that it would offer LTE connectivity on the 850 megahertz (MHz) band
While the 850 MHz band would result in wider reach or what the company described as “umbrella” coverage, tt also provides better indoor signals and complements the 2100 and 1800 MHz bands. //technology.inquirer.net

LTE Network Roll Outs and New Devices Swelling Network Signaling Traffic

LTE Diameter Signaling Traffic to Grow More than Three Times Faster than Mobile Data Traffic Over Five Years, Tekelec Forecasts New Devices, LTE Network Rollouts and Over-The-Top and Usage-Based Service Models to Swell Signaling Traffic

According to the new Tekelec LTE Diameter Signaling Index, Diameter signaling traffic growth will more than triple mobile data traffic growth through 2016.1 Tekelec forecasts Diameter Messages per Second (MPS) to increase to 47 million Diameter MPS by 2016, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 252% between 2011 and 2016. 

//menafm.com

Qualcomm is dominating LTE chips market, but Intel plan to strike back?

Intel will be able to put an unlimited number of bands on a single LTE modem, possible as soon as late next year. Apple used Intel's modems up until 2010, when it switched over to Qualcomm in part to get Verizon and Sprint LTE compatibility. There is Qualcomm MDM9615 modem is in the Apple iPhone 5. 

Modems are only half of the solution, though. Dermot O'Shea, co-founder of antenna firm Taoglas, said antenna design gets difficult when you're covering such a wide range of frequencies. Active antennas for smartphones, which have just started to hit the market this year, can adapt to different bands without being huge, although they add to the cost and complexity of smartphones. We're likely to see more of them next year.
//pcmag.com

Qualcomm Second Generation LTE Chipsets Enable High-Speed Wireless Connectivity in Japan

Qualcomm Incorporated today announced its industry-leading Gobi™ 4G/LTE modem, the MDM9215™, has been implemented in the SoftBank 102Z, a new mobile broadband router for Japan. The device, designed by Chinese telecommunications provider ZTE, represents the second generation of Gobi-powered 4G/LTE products from SoftBank Mobile and the first to feature MDM9x15™ chipsets built on the 28nm manufacturing process. //embedded.com 

Well... Qualcomm MDM is in the Apple, Qualcomm MDM is in the ZTE. And no more in Huawei. Balong or die?

Sprint 4G LTE network will grow by 100 markets over next few months

The 4G LTE Network build by Sprint is under way in the following areas:

Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastian, Puerto Rico
Albermarle, N.C.
Anderson, Ind.
Asheville, N.C.
Athens, Tenn.
Athens, Texas
Austin, Texas
Barnstable Town (Hyannis/Midcape), Mass.
Baton Rouge, La.
Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md.
Boston
Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, Mass.
Charlotte, N.C.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Chicago
Clarksville, Tenn.
Cleveland, Tenn.
Coamo, Puerto Rico
College Station, Texas
Columbia, Tenn.
Columbus, Ind.
Cookeville, Tenn.
Crossville, Tenn.
Daytona Beach-Deltona-Ormond Beach, Fla.
Elkhart-Goshen, Ind.
Fayetteville, N.C.
Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Gainesville, Fla.
Gary, Ind.
Goldsboro, N.C.
Greenville, N.C.
Greeneville, Tenn.
Guayama, Puerto Rico
Hammond, La.
Harriman, Tenn.
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C.
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, La.
Hutchinson, Kan.
Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Johnson City, Tenn.
Jonesboro, Ark.
Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais, Ill.
Kerrville, Texas
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas
Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.
Kinston, N.C.
Knoxville, Tenn.
Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
Lancaster, S.C.
Lawrence, Kan.
Lincolnton, N.C.
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.
Lumberton, N.C.
McPherson, Kan.
Memphis, Tenn.
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla.
Morgan City, La.
Morristown, Tenn.
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Muncie, Ind.
Nashville, Tenn.
New Orleans
New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.
Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, Va.
Ocala, Fla.
Ocean Pines, Md.
Palatka, Fla.
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.
Peabody/Lawrence-Methuen/Gloucester, Mass.
Philadelphia
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Roanoke Rapids, N.C.
Rochelle, Ill.
Rockford, Ill.
Rocky Mount, N.C.
Salina, Kan.
Salisbury, Md.
Salisbury, N.C.
San German-Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sebastian-Vero Beach, Fla.
Sevierville, Tenn.
Shelby, N.C.
Southern Pines-Pinehurst, N.C.
Springfield, Mass.
Statesville-Mooresville, N.C.
St. Thomas, USVI
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.
Topeka, Kan.
Tullahoma, Tenn.
Tupelo, Miss.
Warrensburg, Mo.
Washington, D.C.-Arlington-Alexandria, Va.
Waukegan-Lake County, Ill.
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, Fla.
Wichita, Kan.
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wilson, N.C.
Worcester-Fitchburg-Leominster, Mass.
Yauco, Puerto Rico

Read more //androidguys.com

StarHub to launch LTE plans on September 19

StarHub has just announced that it will be launching its LTE services on September 19 in Singapore.  //asia.cnet.com

LTE chip inside the iPhone 5 is Qualcomm’s MDM9615M

"The LTE chip inside the iPhone 5 is Qualcomm’s MDM9615M. It’s a very impressive chip, built on a 28nm manufacturing process which makes for low power consumption yet still supports LTE in both FDD and TDD flavours and 3G in DC-HSPA+, EV-DO Rev-B and TD-SCDMA guise – the latter making it well suited for China". //lteconference.wordpress.com

Apple iPhone 5 and LTE support

Apple iPhone 5 A1429 GSM model

LTE bands supported

band 1, IMT core band, 2100

band 3, 1800

band 5, 850

LTE networks supported

Australia, Optus (incl. Virgin), 2012.09

Germany, Deutsche Telecom, 2012.09

Hong Kong, SmarTone, 2012.09

Japan, Softbank, 2012.09

Singapore, M1, 2012.09

Singapore, SingTel, 2012.09

South Korea, SK Telecom, 2012.09

South Korea, KT, 2012.09

UK, Everything Everywhere, 2012.09 

Apple iPhone 5 A1429 cdma model

LTE bands (CDMA model) band 1, IMT Core Band (2100) band 3, 1800 MHz band 5, 850 MHz band 13, US700 band 25, 1900 Operators  (CDMA model) Japan, KDDI, announced 2012.09 USA, Sprint, announced 2012.09 USA, Verizon, announced 2012.09 Apple iPhone 5 A1428 LTE bands LTE band 4 AWS  LTE band 17 US 700  Operators USA, AT&T, 2012.09 Canada, Bell (including Virgin), 2012.09 Canada, Rogers (including Fido), 2012.09 Canada, Telus (including Koodo), 2012.09

Quad-core Galaxy S III with LTE coming to Europe in Q4

Samsung Electronics will start selling the souped-up LTE version of the Galaxy S III in the Nordic countries during the fourth quarter, the company said on Monday. The new version of the Galaxy S III comes in two versions: one with LTE over 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2600MHz, and a second one that switches the 800MHz band for the 900MHz band.

\\pcworld.com 

More details about SGS3 LTE

LG Escape leaked with details for AT&T LTE

One more LTE smartphone for AT&T

Android 4.0 ICS

dual-core, 1.2 GHz

4.3", qHD, Gorilla Glass

5 mpix

ff cam

NFC

BT4.0

2150 mAh

Announced 2012.09

Available from Sep.16, 2012

Operators

USA, AT&T, 2012.09.16 US$50 with 2 y.contract

News

2012.09.10 LG Escape leaked with details for AT&T LTE

LTE1800 now used in 33% of commercial networks

September 11, 2012: GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) has published an update to its Evolution to LTE report which confirms 347 telecoms operators in 104 countries are committed to commercial LTE network deployments or are engaged in trials, technology testing or studies. The report covers LTE FDD and LTE TDD technologies.

292 operators have made firm commitments to deploy commercial LTE networks in 93 countries. The number of operators committed to LTE network deployments has increased by 23% in the past year. A further 55 operators in 11 more countries are in a pre-commitment stage, engaged for example in LTE technology trials, tests or studies.

96 operators have launched commercial LTE services in 46 countries. This figure includes 11 commercial LTE TDD systems which are launched in Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Oman, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the UK.

68 operators have launched commercial LTE services in the past 12 mon ths.

GSA forecasts there will be 152 commercial LTE networks operating in 65 countries by December 31, 2012.

LTE commercial network launches per year:

2009 = 2 networks launched
2010 = 15 networks launched (year-end cumulative total = 17)
2011 = 30 networks launched (year-end cumulative total = 47)
2012 to September 11th = 49 networks launched (total to date = 96)

GSA end 2012 outlook = raised again, to 152 networks in 65 countries

GSA re-affirms LTE as the fastest developing mobile system technology ever.

Deployments of LTE in re-farmed spectrum continue to accelerate, emphasizing the flexibility and growing importance of 1800 MHz as a prime band for mobile broadband services delivery. LTE1800 (LTE in 1800 MHz spectrum) is now launched on one third of all commercial LTE networks. Thirty-two operators, compared to five one year ago, have commercially launched LTE1800 either as a single band system, or as part of a multi-band deployment strategy. Commercial LTE1800 services are now available in 24 countries: Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Czech Repulic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mauritius, Namibia, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, and UAE. (My list of LTE1800 operators see here). 

The report also includes for the first time a status update of operator commitments to HD voice enabled by VoLTE and W-AMR codec technology, confirming numerous deployments and commercial launches.

UK welcomes new LTE brand; now rivals must step up

Initial list of UE's for 1800 MHz for Everything Everywhere looks that way:

smartphones

HTC One XL, exp. 2012.09-10

Huawei Ascend P1, 2012

Nokia Lumia 820, exp befor 2012 end
Nokia Lumia 920, exp from 2012.11
Samsung’s Galaxy S3, 2012

dongles

Huawei E392, 2012.09, f.e.UK, EE

MiFi

Huawei E589 mobile Wi-Fi, 2012.09

//telecoms.com

Ecrio and Altair Semiconductor's FourGee LTE chipset now integrated

Ecrio, the leading provider of real time communications client software solutions for the mobile industry, announces the successful integration and certification of Altair Semiconductor's FourGee™ LTE chipset and Ecrio's Mobile Communications Client Suite (MCCS).

//sacbee.com

Everything Everywhere (UK) to get Nokia Lumia 920 in Nov.2012

Most interesting is the rumor that EE can get the Nokia's new smartphone on exclusivity base. Probably Nokia will use that marketing model in other countries as well.

Still it is not confirmed if Nokia Lumia 920 can operate in LTE1800 band, I mean if it is the same Lumia 920 which is dedicated to AT&T and supporting 700 / AWS bands.

We will know it not later then in Nov.2012 anyway.

\\slashgear.com

SK Telecom crosses 5 mn LTE subscribers

With the introduction of diverse LTE price plans like LTE Ting and LTE Golden Age, the number of SK Telecom's LTE subscribers in their teens and fifties or older increased by 500,000 and 650,000 respectively during the same period, diversifying the LTE customer base. Since the launch of LTE service, SK Telecom's LTE customers have used a total of 33.5 petabytes (or 1024 terabytes) of data. Of the total, 46 percent was used for multimedia contents, which is 10 percentage points higher than that of 3G customers (36 percent). In August, LTE customers' daily average data usage for YouTube was 3.2 times greater than that of 3G users. //voicendata.ciol.com

AT&T Expands 4G LTE Coverage

AT&T is expanding its 4G Long-Term Evolution high-speed data network to seven new markets: Anchorage, Alaska; Bakersfield, Calif.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Modesto, Calif., Omaha, Neb.; and Syracuse, N.Y., the company announced Sept. 6.

In addition, the carrier is expanding its coverage in the New York City/New Jersey and Washington D.C./Baltimore markets.

By the end of 2012, AT&T will add LTE coverage in areas such as Cincinnati; Detroit; Hawaii; Louisville, Ky.; Milwaukee; Pittsburgh; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City and Seattle.

\\eweek.com

Subcribers are able to choose between following UEs:

Smartphones

HTC One X, 2012

Pantech Flex, announced in Aug.2012, "coming in months"

Motorola Atrix HD LTE, Aug 2012

Nokia Lumia 900, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note, 2012

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, smartphone, (US$79.99 in Aug.2012)

Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket HD, smartphone,  2012

Samsung Focus 2, smartphone, 2012

Sony Xperia ion, 2012

Tablets

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE, Nov.2012

Pantech Element, 2012

And many expecting that new iPhone will be with LTE support as well.