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Apr

Sprint Announces 21 New LTE Markets, Including Rollouts In Three Major Regions

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, News, Sprint

Sprint announced a major expansion of its still-nascent LTE network today, with three large markets headlining the Now Network's growing 4G footprint: Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Memphis. 18 other, smaller markets were also announced. Here's the full list.

Albemarle, N.C.

Bloomington, Ind.

Charlotte, N.C.

Contra Costa County, Calif.

Denison, Texas

Greeneville, Tenn.

Joplin, Mo.

Kerrville, Texas

Lafayette, Ind.

Lincolnton, N.C.

Los Angeles

Mankato/North Mankato, Minn.

Memphis, Tenn.

Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News, Va.

Palm Bay, Fla.

Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Rochelle, Ill.

Salisbury, N.C.

Shelby, N.C.

Tullahoma, Tenn.

West Palm Beach, Fla.

California, North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee seem to be getting the most love in this announcement, with Contra Costa County and Los Angeles making up a rather large chunk of square mileage now blanketed in the warm embrace of four-gee.

Mar

Sprint-Galaxy-S-III-Google-Wallet-Preloaded-2GB-RAM-Dual-Core-S4-Preorders-Up-June-5-Release-On-June-21-A

Sprint LTE Goes Live Today In Nine New Markets

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, News, Sprint

Network Vision has been a fairly slow process for Sprint, but the carrier is flipping the LTE switch in nine new markets today.

Altoona, Pa.
Asheville, N.C.
Columbus, Ind.
Elkhart/Goshen, Ind.
Hammond, La.
La Crosse, Wis.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Statesville, N.C.
Temple, Texas

This brings The Now Network's LTE footprint up to a whopping 67 markets, some one-point-seven gazillion short of Verizon, five-hundred-million behind that of AT&T, and negative sixty-six short of T-Mobile's LTE network count (on a good day). Note: those numbers are estimates, and may not be exact.

The company is still working on testing and implementing its high-speed network in other areas across the country, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

Feb

AT&T MiFi Liberate Hotspot Review: It Has LTE, A Touchscreen, And Amazing Battery Life - Any More Questions?

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Accessories, AT&T, Other Reviews

Mobile data hotspots aren't the world's most exciting products, though if you travel consistently, they can be an absolute lifesaver. But let's be brutally honest: the average mobile data consumer really doesn't care about the hotspot itself - as long as it works. They care about the network, and the monthly pricing. That's really it.

The hotspot is basically just a tiny little Wi-Fi router with a cellular modem and a lithium-ion battery inside. If it functions properly, you only remember it exists when the battery dies. If it doesn't, it's the worst thing in the universe, and you actively contemplate just how many pieces it would shatter into after a fall from the 4th story window of Homewood Suites.

Jan

Limited T-Mobile LTE Service Goes Live (Probably For Testing) In Kansas City Area

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, News, T-Mobile

If you're a T-Mobile customer with an LTE-enabled phone (with Band 4 connectivity) in the Kansas City area, you may be able to pull down some four-gee goodness starting today. Over at XDA, one member has managed to establish an LTE connection with his unlocked AT&T Galaxy Note, which supports Band 4 LTE. Speed test results and connection info follow.

While the speed isn't particularly impressive right now, T-Mobile's LTE is likely in late pre-launch testing in this market, so the switch may not be fully flipped just yet. Kansas City was expected to be one of T-Mo's first LTE markets, after Las Vegas.

Jan

Verizon Sells Lower 700MHz B Block To AT&T For $1.9 Billion (And Some AWS Spectrum) - Here's What That Means

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, AT&T, News, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: January 27th, 2013

For most people, wireless spectrum is a topic best discussed right before bed with a warm glass of milk. It is boring. But it's important. While landline internet is, as we know, a series of tubes, wireless internet is more like a giant fleet of invisible flying trucks... or something.

To put it plainly, long-range, high-bandwidth spectrum usable with cell phones is a finite resource. Now, the scarcity of that resource in reality is very debatable - vast swaths of basically unused (or severely underutilized) wireless spectrum are in this range, much of it belonging to the military, public safety, television, and various executive agencies.

Jan

Sprint Announces 28 New LTE Markets Going Live 'In The Coming Months'

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, News, Sprint

LTE is probably like getting a glass of ice water in hell for Sprint customers after the flop that was WiMAX, so announcements of expanded 4G coverage are doubly welcome on the Now Network. Sprint let fly today that 28 new markets will be getting the four-gees in 'the coming months,' and here's the list.

Albany, GA

Anderson, SC

Bay City, MI

Branson, MO

Bremerton/Silverdale, WA

Columbus, GA

Columbus, MS

Decatur, AL

Florence/Muscle Shoals, AL

Gadsden, AL

Gaffney, SC

Gettysburg, PA

Glasgow, KY

Homosassa Springs, FL

Hot Springs, AR

Lake City, FL

Lake Havasu City/Kingman, AZ

Midland, MI

Nacogdoches, TX

Opelousas/Eunice, LA

Oxford, MS

Paris, TX

Pittsfield, MA

Saginaw, MI

Spartanburg, SC

The Villages, FL

Waycross, GA

Winona, MN

This particular portion of the LTE buildout seems focused on the southland, though there are a few outliers sprinkled in there as well.

Nov

AT&T Marks LTE Service In Six New Cities 'Available'

Posted by Liam Spradlin in 4G, AT&T, News

If you're an AT&T subscriber who is yet to "do more faster" with the provider's LTE network, you might just be in luck. AT&T has announced new LTE availability in six cities across the country today, along with expansion in the Greater Seattle Area and one county in Maryland.

Here's a quick look at cities where AT&T LTE has officially lighted up (click them to see AT&T's city-specific press release):

Oct

EE 4G LTE Launches In The UK Today

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Carriers, Everything Everywhere (EE)

Six months ahead of all competitors, EE - a joint-venture between Orange and T-Mobile - is launching the UK's first LTE network today. The initial launch rollout will cover 11 major cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield, and Southampton.

EE is promising at least 2,000 square miles of coverage expansion every month (which is probably a better coverage metric for the UK), with 5 more cities to be covered by year's end.

EE has a decided advantage over its competitors due to a spectrum crunch even worse than the one currently going on in the US, with T-Mobile and Orange using spectrum refarming to work around the lack of new airwaves.

Oct

Why Doesn't The Nexus 4 Have LTE? Here's Google's Explanation, And Why It Sort Of Makes Sense

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, News, Nexus 4

If you haven't heard by now, the Nexus 4 doesn't have LTE. It probably won't ever have it, either, based on what Andy Rubin told The Verge regarding the latest Nexus handset's network situation in an interview.

He talks a lot about "tactics" and "user experience" (read: battery life), but it really boils down to one issue: money. The fact that the unlocked 8GB version of the Nexus 4 is just $300 is absolutely crazy. Looking at the hardware, this is easily a $600 phone. Having used an Optimus G (the platform this phone is based on), I already know this is a truly premium device.

Oct

Sprint Expands Its LTE Network To Five More Markets In Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, And Texas

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, News, Sprint

Hey Sprinsters - guess what? The Now Network has some more LTE markets for you. It's a short list, but at least they're making progress, right?

Chicago Area Suburbs: Addison, Bolingbrook, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Kankakee, Rockford, Joliet, Naperville, Palatine and Plainfield
Gary, IN
Hutchinson and McPherson, KS
New Bedford and Fall River, MA
Wichita Falls, TX

If you're still waiting on Sprint's LTE to hit your area (which should be quite a few of you), don't sweat it. The network has already released a rollout schedule for the next few months - if you didn't make the cut this time, maybe you'll have better luck in the near future.