ITU capitulates, admits that the term ’4G’ could apply to LTE, WiMAX, and ‘evolved 3G technologies’
Though it's standing firm on the definition of its original 4G specification -- IMT-Advanced -- which only WiMAX 2 and LTE-Advanced are currently capable of meeting, the ITU is easing off its earlier rhetroic , admitting that the term "4G" realistically could apply "to the forerunners of these technologies, LTE and WiMAX, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed." The whole dust-up started when carriers around the world deploying LTE and WiMAX networks ( ahem , Sprint and Verizon) were throwing the "4G" term around very, very loosely -- and to their credit, the networks are indisputably a generation beyond CDMA2000 and UMTS / HSPA, so if anything, we'd fault the ITU for leaving today's modern networks without a generation to call their own. The "evolved 3G technologies" verbiage in the ITU's statement would seemingly even leave room for T-Mobile USA's claim that its 21Mbps HSPA+ network constitutes 4G... so yeah, score one for marketing campaigns.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: itu, leaving, level, lte, lteadvanced, marketing, modern-networks, seemingly-even, sprint, the-definition, usa
Long Term HSPA Evolution specs come together, promise speeds of 650Mbps — and T-Mobile USA is on board
Thought the alphabet soup of modern wireless standards was confusing enough? 1X Advanced / EV-DO Advanced, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, dual-carrier HSPA+ , EDGE Evolution , LTE , LTE-Advanced , WiMAX , WiMAX 2 ... we could keep going, but we'd really rather not.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: after-the-break, alphabet, Evolution, interestingly, nsn, present, promise-speeds, release, since-the-new, technology, usa
Federal Wi-Net bill proposes a femtocell and WiFi hotspot in every federal building
Here's one way to fix the spectrum crunch : set up wireless base stations and WiFi hotspots in every single one of the 9,000 buildings currently owned and operated by the US General Services Administration.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: access, accessibility, act, engadget, entry, federal, femtocell, hardly-require, hotspot, made-mandatory, proposal, spectrum-crunch, stations, usa
Sprint wouldn’t mind if T-Mobile bought 4G spectrum from Clearwire
Considering Sprint's heavy investment in Clearwire -- and the fact that it shares its WiMAX network with the company -- you can understand why it might be a little weary of letting other carriers in on the spectrum. That said, a Goldman Sachs analyst that apparently met with Sprint execs this week has said that they "have encouraged" a wholesale spectrum deal that would bring cash in from T-Mobile USA -- a company that has yet to settle on a next-gen network strategy beyond HSPA+ -- though it would ultimately depend on the price. Considering Clearwire's somewhat bleak financial picture , it seems likely that Sprint's looking at this as a do-or-die situation -- it isn't necessarily interested in dumping cash into the company by itself ad nauseam, but if it allows the company to falter, that could have unsavory consequences on Sprint's own 4G ambitions.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: ambitions, clearwire, engadget, execs, goldman, lte, nauseam, price, spectrum, sprint, strategy-beyond, usa, wimax
Virgin Mobile USA partners with Walmart for Broadband2Go offer, $20 a month for 1GB
If you took a gander at Virgin Mobile USA's latest Broadband2Go plans you might have noticed a bit of a hole between $10 a month for 100MB and $40 a month for unlimited data. Consider it plugged, with a new $20 monthly 1GB plan that starts today. That's quite a bit nicer than the previous $20 for 300MB plan, but of course there's a catch: it's available only at Walmart , and only to owners of a Novatel MiFi 2200 or Ovation MC720.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: 1gb, gander, mifi2200, mobile, novatel, ovation, partners, prepaid data, usa, virgin mobile usa, virgin-mobile, virginmobile, walmart
T-Mobile customers being mistakenly shipped Micro SIMs, just begging to get shoved into iPhones
You've got to admit, this is a little weird: we've received a number of tips today about T-Mobile USA customers being shipped Micro SIMs rather than the typical Mini SIMs. We've gotten a picture of just such a module (see above), and you can plainly see it's not a hybrid -- it can't be snapped out as a Mini SIM, meaning that unless you've got an adapter lying around, you need to head into the store to get it swapped out for the right kind. The only consumer devices out there in any measurable quantity right now that make use of Micro SIMs are, of course, the iPad and iPhone 4 -- and when you pair this up with the fact that T-Mobile stores are starting to sell iPhone cables right now, the situation is starting to get wacky.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: apple, customers, either-the-ipad, entry, ipad, Sim, sims, situation, theory, usa
Why is T-Mobile selling an iPhone cable?
T-Mobile USA has been an oft-rumored darkhorse to help kill off AT&T's iPhone exclusivity in the country -- and for the life of us, we can't think of a good reason that the carrier's corporate stores would be carrying iPhone charge / sync cables now other than in preparation for a launch. It's interesting to note that Deutsche Telekom boss Rene Obermann in part blamed the lack of the iPhone in the States as a driving factor in its third quarter churn rate..
Categories: Mobile Phone, nexus one, Other Tags: apple, country, darkhorse, driving-factor, iphone, iphone 4, life, mobile, nexus one, result, rumor, states, unlockers, usa
T-Mobile says it couldn’t reach a 3G roaming deal with AT&T, AT&T says otherwise
There's a pretty hilarious conversation going on between execs at AT&T and T-Mobile USA's lawyers right now in arguments being made with the FCC as the commission debates data roaming policies -- we don't think it means much in practical terms, but it's a good read nonetheless.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: att, current-desire, fcc, lawyer, mobile, practical-terms, Roam, roamingagreement, usa
WIND Mobile picking up BlackBerry Curve 3G, it seems
With their limited footprints and subscriber counts -- and therefore, clout with manufacturers -- it stands to reason that Canada's nascent AWS operators would be keen to get in on as many phones designed for T-Mobile USA as they possibly can. Sure enough, fresh evidence on BGR points to a release of the AWS-capable BlackBerry Curve 3G on WIND Mobile at some point in the future, though we don't know exactly when -- and we're assuming that $9,999.00 listed price is a bit on the high side
Categories: BlackBerry, Mobile Phone Tags: 999-00-listed, bgr, clout, colors, engadget, engadget-mobile, entry, mobile-at-some, result, rim, usa, wind, wind-mobile
T-Mobile director scares the FCC with a chilling tale: ‘The IM App that Killed Our Network’
It's almost Halloween, kiddies. Do you have your spooky stories ready for telling around the campfire? If you need a little help, take inspiration from this doozy told by Grant Castle, a Director at T-Mobile USA.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone Tags: chilling-tale, director, fcc, grant castle, kiddies, net neutrality, network, result, Saga, tells-the-tale, usa