Any idea if this LTE band frequency will be a world standard, or Verizon specific? I'm getting a bit sick of current 3G phones being limited to the side of the globe they are sold on (What ever happened to quad-band???)
If they are all getting on the same standard then it is just a matter of having the right antenna which doesn't seem as big a hurdle over as the one between GSM and CDMA.
LTE can operate on any of the same frequency spectrum as GSM, CDMA or UMTS, though most carriers have indicated that it will be used on the 700MHz spectrum - either way you're more likely to end up with penta- or hexa-band UMTS/LTE handsets that cover bands 1/2/4/5-6/8/12-14 that would give you pretty good global coverage. Most UMTS handsets are moving to be tri-band or quad-band already.
Totally agree. The market will help consumers out only if the phones work on different networks. There's no real reason to buy a $700 unlocked iPhone 3G if it doesn't work on the other US HSPA network due to frequency support. The next gen of 3G phones should work on T-mobile, EU and AT&T's bands.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rassah @ Apr 17th 2009 2:06PM
Any idea if this LTE band frequency will be a world standard, or Verizon specific? I'm getting a bit sick of current 3G phones being limited to the side of the globe they are sold on (What ever happened to quad-band???)
dtzitz @ Apr 17th 2009 3:24PM
If they are all getting on the same standard then it is just a matter of having the right antenna which doesn't seem as big a hurdle over as the one between GSM and CDMA.
badonkadonk @ Apr 19th 2009 9:35AM
LTE can operate on any of the same frequency spectrum as GSM, CDMA or UMTS, though most carriers have indicated that it will be used on the 700MHz spectrum - either way you're more likely to end up with penta- or hexa-band UMTS/LTE handsets that cover bands 1/2/4/5-6/8/12-14 that would give you pretty good global coverage. Most UMTS handsets are moving to be tri-band or quad-band already.
equals42 @ Apr 18th 2009 4:38PM
Totally agree. The market will help consumers out only if the phones work on different networks. There's no real reason to buy a $700 unlocked iPhone 3G if it doesn't work on the other US HSPA network due to frequency support. The next gen of 3G phones should work on T-mobile, EU and AT&T's bands.