Are fixed-line broadband days numbered?

Fixed-line broadband could be numbered, at least in Germany, where Vodafone is considering moving its fixed line DSL broadband customers on to (Long Term Evolution) LTE after the company said that it is costing a fortune in line rental to Deutsche Telekom through local loop unbundling (LLU). The move would be seen as quite a radical change as other areas of the market seem to be moving toward using more fixed-line services to help supplement mobile ones.

LTE offers a high bandwidth next-generation (4G) broadband solution which is usually thought of as a ‘mobile broadband’ product, but can work equally well as a replacement for a fixed-line solution. Speeds are offered at up to 50Mbps, which competes well with equivalent fixed-line services that are available in the UK.

By migrating all its customers over to LTE, Vodafone could save around €500 million a year which it currently spends on LLU with Deutsche Telekom, whose prices are higher than the equivalent here in the UK. We are unlikely to see many UK companies encouraging customers to switch in this way, as we are years behind on deploying next-generation LTE networks, mainly due to the lack of spectrum available to run this, which is hoped to become available through auction so services could go live in early 2014, although Europe is encouraging for services to be made available via other means sooner.

Article: RSS via ThinkBroadband

Tags: 4G, Broadband, DSL, Germany, LLU, LTE, Vodafone

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Samsung Galaxy S II LTE phone surfaces in Korea, codenamed Celox?

There’s a new Samsung Galaxy S II rumor circulating the web today — this time, it’s emanating from South Korea, where specs and images of an LTE smartphone, reportedly codenamed “Celox,” have just surfaced. According to its listing, the phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor, sports a 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, and boasts 16GB of internal memory, with a microSD slot offering an extra 32GB. The phone also runs on Gingerbread, rocks a 1750mAh battery (compared to the smaller Galaxy S II’s 1650mAH cell), offers 800MHz LTE support (at up to 50Mbps upstream, 100Mbps downstream) and features an 8MP rear-facing camera, along with a 2MP sensor up front. It all seems pretty similar to that Hercules handset we recently spotted, except for its noticeably different home button, protruding back, and LED flash. No word yet on if or when the handset will hit the market, but considering that both Verizon and AT&T support 700MHz LTE, this particular model may be destined for Europe’s 800MHz networks, rather than the US. We’ll be sure to bring you all the details as soon as they pour in.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: 4G, Android, Celox, Galaxy S II, LTE, Samsung, Smartphones, South Korea

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GSM turns 20 today, still rocking the world

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkZn7jFd9Rc

Happy birthday, dear Global System for Mobile Communications! 20 years ago today, on July 1 1991, the world’s first GSM call was made by Finnish Prime Minister Harri Holkeri. The historic call used Nokia gear on GSM’s original 900MHz band. Today GSM is all grown up and ruling the world — connecting 1.5 billion people in 212 countries and serving 80% of the planet’s mobile market. GSM gave us a number of firsts. It was the first fully digital cellular system using TDMA to cram more information into less spectrum and provide better sounding, more reliable calls using less power. It introduced the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), the idea of switching handsets at will (something carriers have sought to subvert by locking phones), and the reality of international roaming.

Short Messaging Service (SMS) was first launched on GSM networks, along with packet data (GPRS and later EDGE), which made internet access practical on mobile devices. Eventually, GSM expanded to the 400, 800, 1800 and 1900MHz bands and evolved into WDCMA-based UMTS (3G) and later HSPA and HSPA+, followed byLTE (4G) networks. So next time you’re at the coffee shop sipping on that latte while uploading that video to YouTube at 10Mbps using your LTE phone, remember to be thankful for that first GSM call 20 years ago — that’s when the mobile revolution really started.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: 2G, 3G, 4G, 900MHz, Cell Phones, EDGE, GPRS, GSM, HSPA+, LTE, Mobile Networks, Mobile Phones, SIM, Smartphones, SMS, UMTS, WDCMA

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LTE Advanced demo shows 10x regular LTE 4G speeds

Just as we’d started to revel in the speeds of LTE 4G, Ericsson had to go and spoil it all by showing us what’s next in the roadmap. The company has demonstrated LTE Advanced in Sweden this week, delivering speeds 10x that of regular LTE  - over 900 MB/s in fact – by aggregating carrier spectrum into bigger blocks. According to Ericsson, that offers not only higher potential top-speeds, but better performance even when the network is congested.

Not that there’d be much congestion in Ericsson’s testing, given that right now there’s no operational LTE Advanced service around. The trial used a 3 x 20MHz (60MHz aggregated) spectrum chunk and an off the shelf Ericsson multi-mode, multi-standard radio base station, the RBS 6000, and streamed data between the RBS and a moving van from which engineers kept track of network performance.

Current LTE systems are limited to 20MHz at most, but thanks to carrier aggregation and extended multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) – fresh additions to LTE Advanced – the new system can pair together sections of the spectrum to create a fatter pipe. In the downlink, Ericsson says, 8×8 MIMO was used, and the new system is compliant with the 3GPP Release 10 global standard.

When will we get this super-fast LTE Advanced? Ericsson says the first commercial operation is expected in 2013, though that will obviously depend on where you live and how ambitious your carrier is.

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: 4G, 4G Networks, Ericsson, LTE, LTE-Advanced, Mobile Broadband, Sweden

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T-Mobile flips on 42Mbps HSPA+ across 55 markets, launching Rocket 3.0 modem stick tomorrow

Fellow road warriors, we bring you good news: starting today, T-Mobile customers across 55 markets — including Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Pittsburgh, Miami, and many more — will have immediate access to a faster HSPA+ “4G” network. This means anyone with compatible devices can achieve theoreticaldownload speeds of up to a whopping 42Mbps, as opposed to just 21Mbps from the good ol’ days. But of course, only time will tell whether this upgrade will deliver its promise — you may recall that even AT&T’s LTE demo last week delivered “realistic” download speeds of up to just 28.9Mbps, when in theory it should be capable of hitting up to 100Mbps.

Anyhow, if you want to soldier on and be a guinea pig an early adopter, then help yourself to ZTE’s Rocket 3.0 USB modem stick starting tomorrow — the entry price is $99.99 after a $50 mail in rebate, but tied to a two-year broadband plan of 2GB or higher; or you can opt for the contract-free price of $199.99.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: 3G, 4G, HSPA+, LTE, T-Mobile, T-Mobile USA

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Telstra turns on 4G

On track for first to market

The race to deploy 4G services (whether or not 4G truly exists or not) continues with Telstra claiming first place.

The carrier has flicked the switch on its initial LTE enabled base stations in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. The Ericsson supplied 4G network is set to become the first LTE service to launch in the Australian market.

The LTE distinction is important, since ISP Vividwireless also claims to have the country’s first live 4G network. Telstra is using FD-LTE (frequency division multiplexing) while Vivid uses TD-LTE (time division multiplexing).

Telstra and Ericsson have been conducting field trials since announcing the deployment in mid-February.

Telstra Networks and Access Technologies executive director Mike Wright said the first batches of 4G data has been sent over the network for the first time outside of field trials.

Telstra will upgrade its existing Next G network with LTE technology in the CBDs of all capital cities and selected regional centres by the end of 2011.

“With more than a million mobile and wireless broadband customers joining Telstra in the past 12 months, and data usage on the Next G network doubling every year, the increased network capacity LTE will provide is vital,” Wright said.

The upgrade uses Ericsson’s RBS 6000 base station, with the mobile backhaul network to be upgraded to the Enhanced Packet Core standard to support the 42 Mbps maximum speeds offered by the technology.

“By the end of 2011, Telstra said it would be selling dual mode LTE/HSPA+ mobile broadband devices that will operate across the 1800MHz and 850MHz spectrum bands. Sierra Wireless is developing the dual mode mobile broadband devices.

“Our customers benefit through having access to more than 2.1m square kilometres of coverage across Australia, and the fastest upload and download speeds with our HSPA+ network. We are maintaining this benefit by moving to deploy the first mobile 4G network in Australia,” Wright said.

Last month rival Optus announced http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/20/nsn_opus_upgrade/ that it would also be deploying LTE services after securing a ‘multi-million dollar’ deal with Nokia Siemens Networks as its sole packet core vendor. The carrier has been trialing LTE services since 2010 but has yet to commit to a roll out date.

Article: RSS via The Register

Tags: 4G, 4G Networks, Australia, LTE, Mobile Broadband, Telstra

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HTC Puccini: 10-Inch LTE Tablet for AT&T (Image)

This is apparently the HTC Puccini, the rumored 10-inch tablet HTC is preparing to follow its seven-inch Flyer/View 4G. Most notably, it looks like a Puccini variant will be one of the first devices compatible with AT&T’s “true 4G” LTE network, deploying this year. Specific details about this model remain elusive, although it’s likely to run Android 3.x Honeycomb and support HTC’s Scribe capacitive pen input technology. Since Giacomo Puccini was a 19th and 20th century opera composer (La Boheme, Madame Butterfly), there may be a musical focus here as well.

A March leak had this tablet shipping sometime in June, price unknown.

Article: RSS via Pocketnow

Tags: 4G, Android, Honeycomb, HTC, HTC Puccini, LTE, Tablet PC's

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LTE could become available on 900/1800MHz by end of 2011

LTE could be available in the UK sooner than we thought following a decision by the European Commission to open up existing airwaves used for 2G and 3G devices, making them available for use by LTE devices. The EC decision states that the 900 and 1800 MHz spectrum must allow use of these frequencies for LTE devices by the end of 2011. This comes as part of their harmonisation plans to allow EU wide roaming for these kinds of devices.

“This Decision opens the way for the latest 4G mobile devices to gain access to the radio spectrum they need to operate, and so further stimulate high-speed broadband services and foster more competition.”

Neelie Kroes

This will potentially make LTE services available in the UK from the end of the year if Ofcom stick to the EC decision, and adjust national spectrum policy to allow the use of these frequencies by LTE. This date is unlikely to be met though. Ofcom previously opened up the 900MHz 2G frequencies for 3G use in January this year, 15 months after the EC decision to allow this, which required Ofcom to implement the decision within 6 months.

Currently, Ofcom are working to allow LTE from the beginning of 2013, but with restricted use as the 800MHz spectrum will still be used by digital terrestrial TV at that point. LTE spectrum auctions are expected to go ahead in early 2012.

Article: RSS via ThinkBroadband

Tags: 2G, 3G, 4G, 800MHz, 900MHz, EU, LTE, Ofcom, UK

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EU Nations Must Allow 4G Service Over Existing 3G Bands

The groundwork has just been laid for a future Europe blanketed in high-speed 4G coverage, with the European Commission ruling that EU members must allow phones to access 4G services over the frequencies currently used for 3G and 2G deployment.

Basically, this decision would block countries from requiring LTE or WiMAX to run on their own, segregated bands, like Verizon has done with its LTE network in the US. Both 900MHz and 1800MHz bands already share 2G and 3G data services; while adding LTE into that same space will decrease resources available to legacy services, apparently the European Commission feels that the choice of what kind of mobile data you want should be left up to end users, and the important thing for it do to is to make sure that all its member countries allow networks to offer users that choice.

This spells great news for the future of 4G in Europe, as it means we should continue to see the production of smartphone hardware that is network agnostic, able to cross borders and hop carriers at a user’s discretion.

Article: RSS via Pocketnow

Tags: 3G, 4G, Europe, LTE, WiMAX

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Finland’s first LTE network tested by an independent UK firm; average speed of 36.1 Mbps

As operators all around the light up their LTE networks we like to take note of just how fast they are and how much you have to pay to ride the high speed pony express. In Finland TeliaSonera launched an LTE network in November 2010. They price it at 46 Euros per month, no data caps, no speed caps, but you need to sign a 2 year contract, so just how fast is it? Independent testing done by UK firm Epitiro shows that on average customers can expect a download speed of 36.1 Mbps, with peak download speeds reaching 48.8 Mbps. In terms of latency, the average was 23 milliseconds and the worst case scenario was 38 milliseconds. How does this compare to TeliaSonera’s 3G network? Epitiro tested that too, and they found average speeds hitting 4.1 Mbps, and an average latency of 117 milliseconds, with a worst case scenario at over half a second. That’s nearly 9x faster on the download and 5x faster in the latency department. Coverage is still limited to the cities of Turku and Helsinki, and even then it’s not the whole of Helsinki, so it’s going to be quite some time until the entire Finnish population gets to enjoy these levels of performance.

Now what about other LTE networks? The most notable are TeliaSonera’s Swedish LTE network, the first LTE network to launch, and Verizon’s 4G LTE network, the first to launch in North America. Over in Sweden customers are getting download speeds that peak at over 80 Mbps, which could point to the use of wider channels. They also have a cap there of something like 30 GB, which isn’t too bad, except you’re paying roughly 80 Euros/month for service. And down in Freedom Land Verizon’s network goes from 10 to 20 Mbps, but you only get 5 GB for $60/month or 10 GB for $80/month, and that’s pure highway robbery.

Article: RSS via IntoMobile

Tags: 4G, 4G Networks, Finland, LTE, TeliaSonera

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