* I guess it’s not just marine which has trouble with 4G LTE … Apple iPad doesn’t work everywhere (as advertised.)
* As reported Here: http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/13/to-4g-or-not-4g-apple-pulls-wifi4g-branding-for-ipads/
and here: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/03/apple-4g-ipad-international/.
* I’ve been blogging a bit on 4G LTE for the Marine (Boating, Yachting) Market … because marine vessels that travel outside of the U.S. can run into the same kinds of problems described by the above mentioned Apple 4G LTE problem. The FCC did frequency auctions – but that’s the U.S. Other countries might not have had the same frequency bands available as the U.S. did. It’s getting harder and harder to make an “International” Cellular Data device. GSM was more worldwide initially … and if you were able to get a Quad Band Device then you were good to go everywhere … assuming you could make the roaming payment arrangements or get a local sim card. But with the new bands being used by 4G LTE it kind of throws a monkey wrench into all of that. 700 Mhz wasn’t one of the 4 in “Quad Band”. I believe the Ericsson W25 and W35 do 2100 Mhz but that was for something called WCDMA. The new 4G LTE is using 700 Mhz and 2100 Mhz … I’ll have to look up what they are using in Australia (from the articles above) and elsewhere worldwide.
Of course there will be the fallback to 3G and 2G capabilities … and so far they seem to be following the “GSM” and “CDMA” (AT&T and Verizon/Sprint) separate technology chains for that fall back capability. In the above article the *bitch* is that in other countries they assumed or were sold on the idea that they would get 4G LTE speeds. And that was not the case. So those people don’t care about the fallback capability to 3G or whatever. They want their 4G and they want it now.
* LTE – “Let Them Eat (Cake)” – as I said in another blog post on here … seems to be the mind set. Sorry but we’re not sorry – that it doesn’t work for YOU. Sorry but we’re not sorry that you cannot have 4G LTE.
* “You might be a bit ahead of the curve” – someone told Alan Spicer – while I was fighting to get 4G LTE systems for the marine market. Anyway some time soon they may get it all sorted out and figure out a way to Play Nicely with cellular 4G worldwide. I’ll keep waiting … I’ll keep trying!
P.S. Apple iPad Specs here: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
Note frequency bands for different types of Internet service (note also the split in devices between AT&T and Verizon.)
Model for AT&T: 4G LTE (700, 2100 MHz)3; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Model for Verizon: 4G LTE (700 MHz)3; CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz); UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
* The “3″ reference material is:
4G LTE is supported only on AT&T and Verizon networks in the U.S. and on Bell, Rogers, and Telus networks in Canada. See your carrier for details.
Cellular data plan is sold separately. The model you purchase is configured to work with a particular cellular network technology. Check with your carrier for compatibility and cellular data plan availability.
* In other words YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary. Caveat Emptor. Let the Buyer Beware. Let the buyer EAT CAKE. LTE - Let Them Eat (Cake.)
* Check this article out: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2390355,00.asp
LTE May Kill the World Phone
By Sascha Segan
August 3, 2011 11:29am EST
New 4G LTE networks are being built on so many frequency bands that it will be very difficult to build true world phones, and LTE phones’ battery life and signal quality will suffer, Informa Telecoms and Media research analyst Malik Saadi said after releasing a report this week.
The Informa report reiterates what many in the wireless industry already know: LTE is being launched on too many frequency bands for phone builders to cover all of them. Here in the U.S., launches so far have focused on the 700Mhz and 1700Mhz bands. That’s not too bad.
But to roam to Europe, the Informa report says, your phone will need to support 800, 2600, and maybe 1800. To travel in Asia, you’re looking at 700, 800, 1800, 2100, 2300, or 2600, depending on where you go. Japan has a 1500 band just for that country.
The Informa press release also doesn’t mention LightSquared’s particular 1500Mhz band, or the possibility that Clearwire may implement LTE in 2500Mhz.
“There is no way you can support all of the 22 [LTE] bands in a single device,” Saadi said. Remember phone makers need to add all of the 3G bands too, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS antennas.
The best bet for U.S. phones will be quad-band LTE devices that support 700, AWS, 2100, and 2600, giving them some coverage in countries worldwide. But those roaming phones won’t have anywhere near the coverage or signal quality of local phones which support all the local bands.
(More at the link…)
http://www.informatandm.com/analyst-webinars
LTE Spectrum Strategies: Licensing, band adoption and the challenge of global fragmentation
(Video – Webinar – Informa Telecoms and Media) LTE Spectrum Strategies and Forecasts to 2016.
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Alan Spicer
Alan Spicer Marine Telecom and WiFiYacht.net
+1 954 683 3426
communications @ marinetelecom.net