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Google Maps is one of the company's most magical services, but its navigational utility sadly varies a bit from country to country. For several reasons, not all regions have the same sort of data available. Google offers three tiers of data availability and quality when it comes to things like biking directions, traffic, and speed limits, and the company has just updated its table for Map Coverage Details to reflect several recent changes in coverage.
T-Mobile has just rolled out improved LTE coverage to literally hundreds of new locations across the United States, including cities such as Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and many others. The upgrade affects T-Mobile's low- and mid-band LTE capacity, which are the parts of the spectrum best suited for in-building penetration and long-range coverage.
Google's new Pixel phones aren't the developer-friendly devices that the Nexus phones were, and they aren't priced like them, either. The Pixel starts at a whopping 9 for the standard 5-inch 32GB version. A 128GB upgrade costs an extra hundred bucks ($749), and the Pixel XL is $120 more expensive at both capacities, $769 and $869, respectively. Google has added financing options to the Google Store, very much like US and international carriers, to help with the sticker shock. Customers can spread that price over 24 monthly payments. The cheapest option is $27.04 a month.
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T-Mobile is planning to unveil a new phase of its Uncarrier program next week, but in the meantime, it's revamping Uncarrier 7 from last year. In case you're not keeping count, that was the CellSpot Router. Now, T-Mobile is adding the 4G LTE CellSpot to its lineup. This mini cell tower plugs into your internet to provide a bubble of T-Mobile LTE coverage for up to 16 simultaneous voice/data sessions. It's also kind of free.
After signing up for Google's Project Fi I had only to wait a couple of days before a SIM card and "Welcome Kit" showed up at my door. I noted that the accessories - a battery pack, earbuds, and white case for the Nexus 6 - seemed to be carefully and thoughtfully designed, even if the hard plastic boxes for each seemed a little extravagant. The welcome kit was foreshadowing for the rest of the Fi experience - thoughtfully put together and pleasing.
Google's Project Loon isn't on our radar much here in the US because we have expansive high-speed internet access. That's not the case everywhere, though, and it's a problem Project Loon aims to solve. According to Google, a single balloon can apparently provide LTE service to a region the size of Rhode Island. I could have baited you with "a whole state" in the headline, but this is still pretty impressive.
It has apparently been a while since Sprint's been able to focus on simply growing out its nationwide coverage. While the company has expanded its LTE coverage piecemeal, announcing new markets every couple of months, it has also had to manage the networks powered by different technologies it acquired when purchasing Nextel (iDen) and Clearwire (WiMax). But after a decade of acquisitions and adjustment, Sprint may be ready to start turning things around, according to S4GRU, a blog dedicated entirely to Sprint's 4G LTE and WiMax expansions (it doesn't get much more niche than that).
AT&T Launches International 4G LTE Roaming In Over A Dozen Additional Countries
AT&T Launches International 4G LTE Roaming In Over A Dozen Additional Countries
AT&T is currently the only carrier to offer 4G LTE roaming in other countries, a change it rolled out back in December. At the time, only Canada was supported, followed by the UK. Now the carrier is rolling out the service in around a dozen additional countries. These range from locales as small as Hong Kong and Singapore to places as expansive as Australia and Russia.
Some people live in places that have had 4G LTE coverage for a long time now. Others don't. AT&T is steadily working to fill in the gaps in its network, and today it has announced the launch of 12 additional markets. This brings the total up to 488 nationwide.
AT&T Rolls Out 13 New LTE Markets, Expands Service In 15 More
AT&T Rolls Out 13 New LTE Markets, Expands Service In 15 More
Maybe you got LTE coverage a long time ago, but not everyone is so lucky. AT&T is still filling in the gaps in its LTE network, and is today adding 13 new markets and expanding a few more. Let's see if you're on the list.
Compared to Verizon and AT&T, Sprint's network leaves much to be desired in terms of both data speeds and coverage. This isn't the result of a lack of effort, though, as the Kansas-based company has steadily rolled out LTE to new markets throughout the summer. Today the company has announced the availability of 4G LTE in 34 new markets, bringing the total number from 151 up to 185. Sprint customers throughout the South, Midwest, North Carolina, Oregon, and Pennsylvania should now have a new reason to smile.
Think of Sprint as the Little Engine That Could. It's tinkered with 4G perhaps longer than any of America's other major carriers, but it has little to show for it. There are large swaths of the country that don't have LTE coverage and the speeds aren't necessarily that fast in the areas that do. Still, those of us on Sprint's network must hold on to hope. The company is hard at work, and today they've announced the availability of 4G LTE in 41 new markets. Faster Sprint service is now available in both Brooklyn and the Bronx, along with Philadelphia, Portland, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville.
AT&T has announced some new LTE markets today and will be expanding coverage in a few more. You can check out the full list below. If you've been hoping for AT&T LTE to reach your corner of the world, cross your fingers and proceed.
AT&T Lights Up LTE In 17 New Markets And Expands Coverage In 7 More, Including Dayton, Flagstaff, and Southern New Jersey Shore
It's that time again. AT&T has been busy adding and upgrading several markets with high-speed LTE. This round of upgrades seems to focus a bit more
It's that time again. AT&T has been busy adding and upgrading several markets with high-speed LTE. This round of upgrades seems to focus a bit more attention to the Northeast, particularly in the New York and New Jersey areas. Still, quite a few other locations are popping up around the country. With most new spots checking in with populations below 100,000 people, and some below the 10k mark, AT&T is closing in on its target to finish covering the United States with LTE by the end of this year.
AT&T LTE Expands To 22 New Markets And Expands Coverage In 10 More [Updated]
Perhaps you've noticed tantalizing flickers of AT&T 4G LTE on your handset in recent weeks. That's a sure sign something about to break loose, and
Perhaps you've noticed tantalizing flickers of AT&T 4G LTE on your handset in recent weeks. That's a sure sign something about to break loose, and now it has. AT&T is firing up LTE in 22 new markets and expanding coverage in 10 others. Most of the new markets are mid-size cities, which really tells you how far along AT&T is in its rollout.
Better late than never, I suppose. Today Sprint announced that it's bringing new LTE service to Boston and Framingham, Mass., Austin and Bryan-College Station, TX, Fort Wayne, IN, and Western Puerto Rico. The latter is actually not the first round of 4G coverage for the territory, as PR has had coverage in a few southern cities for a while. Additionally, the carrier improved its 3G services throughout the entire island.
Have you heard that T-Mobile is working on an LTE network? It's true. According to an interview with the carrier's USA EVP and CTO Neville Ray over on FierceWireless, the company is "days away" from flipping the switch on its new towers. The initial rollout will take place in Las Vegas (where T-Mo had hoped to debut in time for CES, but was delayed), followed closely by Kansas City.
Today, Sprint announced that it would be spending $2.2bn to acquire the remaining (roughly) half of Clearwire that it doesn't already own. The transaction, which is naturally subject to regulatory approval, will give the carrier ownership of all of Clearwire's significant share of spectrum, which will be a huge boost to Sprint as it attempts to build out an LTE network to compete with Verizon and AT&T.