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Tag: 4G

  • T-Mobile Achieves Several Standalone 5G Milestones

    T-Mobile Achieves Several Standalone 5G Milestones

    T-Mobile has announced several important milestones in its standalone (SA) 5G rollout.

    5G networks are currently built on non-standalone (NSA) technology, meaning that the backbone is based on the 4G LTE core, giving compatible devices the ability to connect to with 5G and LTE simultaneously. While still faster than straight LTE, NSA 5G can’t match the potential of an SA 5G network, where all the components are based on the newer tech.

    According to T-Mobile, the company has successfully completed a number of significant steps involving SA 5G testing, including the first data session using multi-vendor modems, the first “voice call using Evolved Packet System (EPS) fallback to VoLTE,” and the first low-band voice calls (VoNR) and video calls (ViNR) over production networks. ViNR is particularly significant, as it allows native, high-quality video calls without an app.

    “Powerful and reliable wireless networks are more important than ever, and these milestones mark a huge step forward for the entire wireless ecosystem,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “Standalone 5G, paired with the broad and deep network we’re building by combining the assets of T-Mobile and Sprint, will accelerate 5G adoption and services and transform wireless!”

    T-Mobile is wasting no time moving forward in their 5G rollout following their merger with Sprint. These latest announcements will pave the way for significant improvements for customers of the magenta network.

  • T-Mobile Rolling Out Sprint’s Spectrum to Improve Network

    T-Mobile Rolling Out Sprint’s Spectrum to Improve Network

    On the heels of its merger with Sprint, T-Mobile is wasting no time putting the former company’s spectrum to use improving its own network.

    With carriers around the world pushing to deploy 5G networks, T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint puts it in an enviable spot moving forward. 5G comes in three flavors: low-band, mid-band and high-band, or mmWave. mmWave offers gigabit speeds, but has extremely limited range and penetration, while low-band offers excellent range and penetration, but only marginally better speeds than 4G LTE.

    Mid-range spectrum is considered the sweet spot, offering a compromise between fast speeds and good coverage. Sprint had a wealth of mid-range spectrum, and T-Mobile is already putting it to good use. The company had previously announced the rollout of 2.5Ghz 5G in Philadelphia, using Sprint’s spectrum, and now it is going even further.

    According to the company’s website, T-Mobile is bringing low, mid and high-band 5G to New York City. It is also bringing its low-band 5G to Detroit, St. Louis and Columbus. At the same time, Sprint customers are now able to roam on T-Mobile’s network, doubling the amount of LTE sites Sprint customers can access.

    The announcements are welcome news to T-Mobile and Sprint subscribers and reaffirm that the New T-Mobile is the carrier to beat.

  • 5G Deploying Faster Than 4G

    5G Deploying Faster Than 4G

    While it may seem 5G is taking a long time to roll out, new data shows deployment is moving along much faster than its predecessors.

    According to 5G Americas, citing research by Omdia, 5G adoption has actually far outpaced previous generations of wireless technology. For example, “it took roughly 10 quarters, or until Q1 2012, for 4G LTE to reach 17.9 million connections – roughly where 5G is today. 3G did not reach that mark until December 2010, after 11 Quarters and 2G reached it in December 1995, after 14 quarters.”

    As a result, the 17.7 million 5G connections globally in Q4 2019 represent a 329% growth rate over the previous quarter. Even more impressive, that number is five million subscribers ahead of projections.

    “We truly had a great year in 2019, as 5G adoption has surpassed most forecasts,” said Chris Pearson, President, 5G Americas. “With the first year of 5G completed, 2020 is shaping up to be focused on the growth of new 5G devices, increasing coverage, increasing network densification, and probably the first 5G Stand Alone deployments.”

    The research is good news for the 5G industry and customers alike, especially given the revolutionary speeds the technology promises.

  • UK-US ‘Special Relationship’ Tested As Boris Johnson Faces Rebellion Over Huawei Decision

    UK-US ‘Special Relationship’ Tested As Boris Johnson Faces Rebellion Over Huawei Decision

    The UK decided Tuesday to allow Huawei to have a limited role in building the country’s 5G network. The decision has strained relations with the U.S. and sparked a rebellion within Boris Johnson’s own party, according to CNBC and The Guardian.

    The U.S. has been playing full-court press in its efforts to pressure the UK to ban Huawei from involvement in building out the country’s network. U.S. officials have even gone so far as to consider measures that would limit intel sharing with countries that use Huawei, something that would have profound implications for the relationship the two countries enjoy.

    In the wake of the UK’s decision, according to CNBC, Senator Ben Sasse said: “Here’s the sad truth: our special relationship is less special now that the U.K. has embraced the surveillance state commies at Huawei.”

    Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, it’s not just American politicians who are upset with the decision. Members of Boris Johnson’s own party are pushing for the government to commit to a three year window, by the end of which Huawei will be pushed out of British networks.

    “A group of anti-Huawei Tories want an assurance that the government will work towards reducing the Chinese company’s influence in UK infrastructure to zero, ultimately stripping it out of the 4G network as well,” says The Guardian.

    “Their argument is that any provider deemed high-risk by the intelligence services should be phased out of the supply chain, although Britain’s spy agencies say that any security risk from Huawei can be managed.”

    The ongoing saga demonstrates what’s at stake—far beyond wireless speeds and cell subscribers—as 5G rolls out around the world.

  • FCC Frees Up 3.5GHz Mid-Band For Wireless Use

    FCC Frees Up 3.5GHz Mid-Band For Wireless Use

    The Federal Communications Commission has authorized the commercial use of the mid-range 3.5GHz spectrum, according to a press release by the CBRS Alliance.

    The 3.5GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum is being marketed under the name OnGo. Up until this ruling, the spectrum was reserved exclusively for the Department of Defense (DoD) and used extensively by the Navy.

    OnGo is a pivotal piece of the U.S. 5G rollout, as it sits squarely in what is considered mid-band spectrum. Low-band spectrum, such as that being heavily deployed by T-Mobile, has the advantage of offering long range and excellent building penetration, but offers only marginally faster speeds than 4G LTE. High-band, mmWave spectrum offers speeds measured in gigabits but has extremely poor range and penetration. This is what Verizon has primarily invested in.

    Mid-range spectrum, such as OnGo, can be used to improve speed and signal strength, first on 4G and then on 5G. The spectrum will effectively help bridge the gap between the long-range but slower low-band and the high-speed, mmWave spectrum.

    According to the press release, “consumers now have access to improved wireless connectivity through OnGo-compatible mobile devices, including the Google Pixel 4, Motorola’s 5G Moto Mod, Samsung Galaxy S10, Apple iPhone 11, LG G8 ThinQ, and OnePlus 7 Pro, all of which are on the market today. The OnGo ecosystem is vast and opens a brand-new market for wireless communications and 5G services in the United States, touching rural broadband via fixed wireless providers (WISPs), enterprise IT, hospitality, retail, real estate, industrial IoT, and transportation, among other sectors.”

    Because of OnGo’s previous status as protected spectrum, it can still be used by the DoD in times of emergency.

    “To ensure that the DoD has continued access to the band, Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) networks have been deployed along the U.S. coast. The ESC networks operated by CommScope, Federated Wireless, and Google inform the SAS administrators to activate a protection zone and dynamically reassign users in the area to other parts of the band, thus protecting the incumbent’s use of the spectrum while maximizing availability of CBRS spectrum across coastal areas.”

    The FCC’s decision is good news for consumers and businesses alike and will open up a wide range of wireless opportunities.

  • Nokia CEO Predicts 5G Maturity In 2021

    Nokia CEO Predicts 5G Maturity In 2021

    In an interview with Bloomberg, Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri discussed 5G, including his belief the market will reach maturity in 2021.

    Suri was first asked when he expected 5G to make a meaningful impact on Nokia’s numbers.

    “It will start to happen in the next couple of years,” Suri said. “It’s already starting to happen, where we’ve been rolling out 5G in the U.S., in South Korea; Japan is next, many Nordic countries. A little bit in China has begun, and then Middle East and so on.

    “So I think market maturity, at the scale of many countries running at the same time—including Europe—will likely be in ‘21, although 2020 is also a big deal.”

    When he was asked about the challenges he saw in growing the 5G market, Suri was equally bullish, pointing to the tremendous opportunity for consumers and businesses alike.

    “There are plenty of opportunities because, one, we think 5G is about a number of things. It’s about low latency, it’s about a thousand times more capacity, super fast speed. But it’s not only for consumers. It’s also for industries, so a number of verticals will benefit from rolling out 5G. And not just 5G—actually you can do a number of things with 4G.”

    Chinese vendors, such as Huawei, have been in the news over security concerns, with some countries and experts believing they provide a way for Beijing to spy on governments and corporations. Suri said that policy makers will need to make the big decisions about what vendors to include or exclude, and that Nokia is simply focused on providing the best technology.

    “On our part, we just want to make sure we have the most competitive technology. And we have an end-to-end portfolio, like you said, because 5G isn’t just about radio. 5G is about a virtual circle of multiple elements of the network: backhaul, transport, software, applications, fixed wireless access, fixed lines and 5G radio as well—and of course the core network. So we want to be able to benefit from that end-to-end strategy and end-to-end portfolio that we have.”

    In spite of the challenges with 5G roll outs, Suri says the technology is being adopted much faster than 4G.

    “In fact, I would say our experience in early networks is that adoption of 5G is four times faster than the adoption we saw in 4G.”

  • Verizon, T-Mobile and US Cellular Exaggerated 4G LTE Coverage

    Verizon, T-Mobile and US Cellular Exaggerated 4G LTE Coverage

    Yesterday we reported on the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) plans to allocate $9 billion to assist rural 5G rollout. It appears that decision was motivated by an investigation showing that Verizon, T-Mobile and US Cellular exaggerated the extent of their 4G LTE coverage.

    The investigation resulted from complaints in 12 states that the three carriers’ coverage was not as good as advertised. FCC staff drove nearly 10,000 miles testing wireless signals on Samsung S9 smartphones.

    “Only 62.3% of staff drive tests achieved at least the minimum download speed predicted by the coverage maps—with U.S. Cellular achieving that speed in only 45.0% of such tests, T-Mobile in 63.2% of tests, and Verizon in 64.3% of tests,” the report says. “Similarly, staff stationary tests showed that each provider achieved sufficient download speeds meeting the minimum cell edge probability in fewer than half of all test locations (20 of 42 locations). In addition, staff was unable to obtain any 4G LTE signal for 38% of drive tests on U.S. Cellular’s network, 21.3% of drive tests on T-Mobile’s network, and 16.2% of drive tests on Verizon’s network, despite each provider reporting coverage in the relevant area.”

    There is more at stake than mere inconvenience, however, as the report goes on to highlight.

    “The Commission and the public must be able to rely on the deployment data that providers submit to the Commission. Inaccurate data jeopardize the ability of the Commission to focus our limited universal service funds on the unserved areas that need the most support.”

    In other words, if coverage maps show an area has excellent wireless reception, the FCC is unlikely to green-light funds to improve coverage in that area. Therefore, areas that inaccurately display coverage could end up being denied funds they desperately need.

    The FCC proposed a number of remedies, including penalties for carriers that overstate coverage and appropriations from Congress to cover the expense of having manual driving checks to verify signal.

    Hopefully, whatever the FCC decides will help resolve the issues wireless customers have experienced for years—where what they pay for doesn’t always match what they were promised.

  • T-Mobile’s Low-Band 5G Two to Four Times Faster Than 4G

    T-Mobile’s Low-Band 5G Two to Four Times Faster Than 4G

    T-Mobile recently announced the nationwide availablility of their low-band, 600MHz 5G, expected to be 20 percent faster than 4G. If VentureBeat’s testing is any indication, T-Mobile subscribers should be very happy with real-world speeds.

    With 5G rollout dominating the news, one thing that has quickly become obvious is not all 5G is created equal. Most carriers around the world are focusing on low-band 5G, offering relatively modest speed boosts in exchange for wider coverage. In the U.S., however, carriers are focusing heavily on millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G.

    mmWave refers to the spectrum between 24 and 100GHz. Because very little of this spectrum is used for anything else, it offers carriers a tremendous amount of unused bandwidth. The short wavelength also offers transfer speeds much faster than older 4G, with speed measured in gigabits rather than megabits. Unfortunately, that speed comes at the expense of range and penetration, with mmWave base stations having effective ranges in the hundreds of yards. Similarly, buildings, trees, windows, even a hand, can negatively impact the quality of the signal.

    T-Mobile, therefore, decided to focus on 600MHz low-band 5G for its nationwide rollout while it continues to slowly build out its mmWave service. Initial estimates predicted a modest 20 percent speed increase over existing 4G, which VentureBeat reporter Jeremy Horwitz decided to put to the test.

    “Thankfully, my initial testing of T-Mobile’s low-band 5G network revealed a more complex reality than the company’s conservative figure,” Horwitz wrote. “The good news is that low-band 5G downloads peaked at 227Mbps, 2-4 times faster than T-Mobile’s LTE service at the same locations, and far higher than the aforementioned 20% estimate. But the bad news is that you won’t always achieve the peak speeds, and — surprise — early T-Mobile 5G phone adopters can’t actually use 5G for tethering, only smartphone service.”

    T-Mobile is taking a three-tier approach, with 600MHz for the low-band and mmWave for the high-speed, short-range portions. If the merger with Sprint goes through, T-Mobile will use Sprint’s 2.5GHz spectrum to bridge the gap as faster, medium-range service.

    The fact that T-Mobile’s low-band 5G is already beating expectations is a good sign for the company and its subscribers moving forward.

  • MediaTek and Intel Partner to Bring 5G to PCs

    MediaTek and Intel Partner to Bring 5G to PCs

    While 5G is just beginning to roll out and is only supported by a handful of phones, MediaTek and Intel have announced a partnership to bring the new technology to PCs.

    5G promises to be a revolutionary upgrade to the wireless experience, offering speeds measured in gigabits per second rather than megabits. Latency is also significantly better with the specification calling for ping between 1 and 4 milliseconds (ms), verses the 20 ms of 4G.

    It’s easy to understand why 5G would make an appealing addition to a PC as, in many cases, it would be substantially faster than a cable or DSL connection.

    “Our 5G modem for PCs, developed in partnership with Intel, is integral to making 5G accessible and available across home and mobile platforms,” said MediaTek President Joe Chen. “5G will usher in the next era of PC experiences, and working with Intel, an industry leader in computing, highlights MediaTek’s expertise in designing 5G technology for global markets. With this partnership, consumers will be able to browse, stream and game faster on their PCs, but we also expect them to innovate with 5G in ways we have not yet imagined.”

    “5G is poised to unleash a new level of computing and connectivity that will transform the way we interact with the world,” said Gregory Bryant, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group. “Intel’s partnership with MediaTek brings together industry leaders with deep engineering, system integration and connectivity expertise to deliver 5G experiences on the next generation of the world’s best PCs.”

    Dell and HP are the first manufacturers expected to release computers offering Intel and MediaTek’s 5G connectivity, with the first devices expected in early 2021.

  • New 5G Security Flaws Discovered, Threatening Privacy and Security

    New 5G Security Flaws Discovered, Threatening Privacy and Security

    Companies around the world are working to roll out 5G networks, facing regulatory, logistic, economic and technical hurdles along the way. Now, according to WIRED, researchers have discovered a number of new flaws in the specification, adding yet another challenge to successful deployment.

    Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa have discovered 11 new flaws in 5G protocols. Alarmingly, these flaws are all part of the 5G specification itself, rather than any one carrier’s implementation. The vulnerabilities can “expose your location, downgrade your service to old mobile data networks, run up your wireless bills, or even track when you make calls, text, or browse the web. They also found five additional 5G vulnerabilities that carried over from 3G and 4G. They identified all of those flaws with a new custom tool called 5GReasoner.”

    Although one of the benefits of 5G is supposed to be greater protection of phone identifiers, such as the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), so-called downgrade attacks bypass that security by forcing a device to operate in 4G mode, or a limited service mode. Once the service is downgraded, the device can be forced to send its IMSI. Even the safeguards that are in place, such as Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI), can be overridden.

    The researchers also discovered “issues with the part of the 5G standard that governs things like initial device registration, deregistration, and paging, which notifies your phone about incoming calls and texts.”

    The flaws have all been reported to the GSM Association, which downplayed the severity of the issue.

    “These scenarios have been judged as nil or low-impact in practice, but we appreciate the authors’ work to identify where the standard is written ambiguously, which may lead to clarifications in the future,” the GSMA told WIRED. “We are grateful to the researchers for affording industry the opportunity to consider their findings and welcome any research that enhances the security and user confidence of mobile services.”

  • Fears Over 5G Radiation Prompt Nationwide Backlash in Switzerland

    Fears Over 5G Radiation Prompt Nationwide Backlash in Switzerland

    Despite being one of the first countries to roll out 5G, AFP is reporting that Switzerland is experiencing significant backlash to the new technology.

    5G, or fifth-generation wireless, is the next evolution of wireless technology, promising faster speeds, more connected devices and lower latency. Standards bodies are aiming for an average of 20Gbps, rather than Mbps, and 1ms latency instead of 50ms and higher.

    This improved speed, however, comes with a significant downside. Mobile operators use relatively low-frequency radio waves, below 6 GHz, for current cell phones. These radio waves measure tens of centimeters in length. Unfortunately, these are the same frequency mobile operators have been using for decades. As the demand for data and high-speed access has increased, not to mention the sheer number of mobile users, the amount of available bandwidth has come under strain, resulting in poor performance.

    5G, on the other hand, uses millimeter waves. These radio frequencies are much higher, between 30 and 300 GHz, and measure 1 to 10 millimeters in length. Because these frequencies have never been used for mobile phones, there is a huge, untapped amount of spectrum available. This will ease network congestion and help deliver performance never before seen.

    Unfortunately, millimeter waves have a big disadvantage when compared with lower frequencies. Specifically, millimeter waves cannot travel through buildings and other obstacles nearly as well, meaning mobile operators must have far more cell towers and sites to achieve the same coverage. One example is small cells, portable cell base stations that are placed roughly 250 meters apart.

    While small cells and similar solutions will overcome the technical issues surrounding 5G rollout, it does raise another concern. There is already worry that constant exposure to cell phone radio waves contributes to cancer. Now, with the limitations of 5G, the amount of exposure is set to increase dramatically as carriers blanket towns and cities with small cells to provide coverage.

    Those concerns have led Swiss citizens, experts and even the Swiss Federation of Doctors to pressure the government to rethink its approach to 5G. As a result of the pressure, a number of cantons—there are 26 Swiss cantons or states comprising Switzerland—have called for a halt of further 5G deployment.

    “I think we have most citizens on our side,” Coco Tache-Berther, of the organisation Fequencia, told AFP, saying Switzerland’s rapid roll-out of 5G was “ultra-shocking”.

    Mobile operators around the world will no doubt be watching to see what precedent is set in Switzerland.

  • T-Mobile Promises Fast 4G Expansion This Year

    T-Mobile Promises Fast 4G Expansion This Year

    T-Mobile has shifted the mobile landscape significantly in the past year, doing away with device subsidies and forcing a small price war among the largest mobile providers in the U.S. One area T-Mobile still struggles to compete in, however, is the overall quality of its network. Neither T-Mobile nor Sprint have the data coverage reach across rural America that AT&T and Verizon have bought over the past decade.

    To rectify this, T-Mobile is, of course, making big promises. The carrier today announced a new program to aggressively roll out 4G LTE data access to areas that currently only have access to its EDGE network. The company will also deploy 4G LTE over the 700 MHz A-Block spectrum that it purchased from Verizon early this year.

    T-Mobile expects around half of this major initiative to be complete by the end of 2014 and has predicted that the program will be “substantially complete” by mid-2015.

    “Through this major new network upgrade program, and other initiatives already underway, we’re driving hard toward our multi-billion dollar strategy to further improve what is already an amazing network experience for our customers,” said Neville Ray, CTO at T-Mobile. “Our 4G LTE is going to reach 230 million people across the U.S. by mid-year. By year’s end, we’re going to be delivering wicked-fast 4G LTE to more than 250 million people. That’s how the Un-carrier rolls out 4G LTE.

    In addition to the infrastructure upgrades, T-Mobile today also announced that it has “taken legal action” against Verizon, demanding that the company cease and desist its network coverage map ads. T-Mobile believes that the ads, which depict only 4G LTE networks, are unfair because the leave out T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network, which it also considers to be 4G.

    “Verizon’s ink blots massively understate our coverage and don’t begin to represent the actual customer experience on T-Mobile’s network,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. “So we’re setting the record straight – both by demanding an end to the misinformation, and by going straight to the people with the truth.”

    As it is unlikely Verizon will stop comparing its 4G LTE network with other carriers, T-Mobile has released a new ad touting T-Mobile’s total coverage (not just 4G):

  • 4G Data Use to Overtake 3G Worldwide by 2016

    4G Data Use to Overtake 3G Worldwide by 2016

    Mobile providers in the U.S. are constantly waging marketing battles touting their 4G networks and speeds. High-end smartphone manufacturers have all moved past 4G as a differentiating feature for their handsets. Despite this situation, market research firm ABI Research estimates that 4G subscriptions currently make up less than 3% of worldwide cellular subscriptions.

    Though 4G has not yet penetrated many markets outside of the west, the technology’s greater speeds do allow consumers to use more data – and they take advantage of that. ABI today estimated that 4G subscribers use 20% of the data streamed on mobile networks worldwide. The firm also predicted that that 4G’s percentage will overtake 3G data consumption by the year 2016. ABI is making this prediction due to the increased efforts of mobile providers to rollout 4G in more territories, as well as the falling prices seen in both the smartphone and tablet markets.

    “These two factors work hand in hand to enable consumers to stream videos,” said Ying Kang Tan, research associate at ABI Research. “Already, Verizon saw video accounting for 50% of its network traffic earlier this year. ABI Research believes global annual video consumption will soar at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 60.6% to exceed 100 Exabyte in 2018.”

    Though higher speeds will make mobile video more popular, ABI cautions that internet data traffic will still make up 27% of mobile data used in 2018. The firm also claims that with the rise of data speeds will also come higher mobile revenues, which it predicts will rise by a 7.9% CAGR in the next five years.

  • Foxconn Could Become Mobile Provider in Taiwan

    Foxconn Technology Group, the manufacturer of Apple’s iPhone and iPad products, is looking to take its business beyond manufacturing. In addition to media and software investments, the company could soon become a mobile carrier in China.

    The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Foxconn has applied for a 4G LTE mobile spectrum license in Taiwan. If the company qualifies, it will bid against other qualified companies in a September spectrum auction. According to the Journal, Taiwan’s current mobile carriers only provide 3G data at this time.

    Foxconn’s moves into software and wireless come as PC hardware sales have begun to slow. In addition to its lucrative iPhone and iPad manufacturing deals, Foxconn also manufactures PCs and electronics for companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Nokia, Dell, HP, and Amazon.

    According to the Wall Street Journal, Foxconn’s earnings growth has also slowed due to rising employment costs in mainland China. Pressure on Apple and other electronics companies has resulted in audits that have forced Foxconn to improve working conditions in its factories. Factory workers themselves have also taken matters into their own hands, rioting and striking for better conditions, hours, and training.

    The mobile market in China, and Taiwan in particular, is growing rapidly. China is expected to overtake the U.S. and the top global smartphone market in 2013.

    (via Wall Street Journal)

  • CES 2013: T-Mobile Now Offers No-Contract Unlimited 4G Data Plans For $70/Month

    Did you hear? T-Mobile will be getting the iPhone in the next few months. The company’s CEO, John Legere, confirmed just as much at CES 2013. Now, you may not want an iPhone, but T-Mobile has something else on offer that may convince you to switch.

    T-Mobile announced that its no-contract 4G data plan will be going live today. Customers on T-Mobile can now get unlimited 4G data, and unlimited talk and texting for only $70 a month. It’s obvious that T-Mobile is hoping to steal some customers from the other carriers with this move.

    “Simply put, consumers want their data to be blazing fast, without limits and without overages,” said Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “With our new Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan, that’s exactly what we’re giving them, and for the first time, we’re offering it without an annual contract. Other carriers want to lock customers in; we’re going to earn our customers’ business with an amazing 4G experience every day.”

    Like always, there is a catch though. Only a limited number of phones are available on this new no-contract plan, and hardly any of them are exactly “great” phones. The only real standout device in the list of supported phones is the Galaxy S III. For a limited time, however, T-Mobile is also offering the LG Optimus L9 for only $199 for new no-contract customers. It’s a little on the weak side, but it should be good enough for those who care more about the unlimited data instead of their phone’s power.

    The new no-contract unlimited 4G data plan will be available starting today through the T-Mobile Web site or retail stores. Those who aren’t near T-Mobile retail outlets can get on the new plan through select dealers and national retail outlets.

  • T-Mobile’s Nationwide Unlimited 4G Data Plan Launches Today

    T-Mobile announced last month that they would be introducing an unlimited 4G data plan across the country to consumers tired of paying for tiered data from the big guys. It was supposed to be available on September 5 and T-Mobile has stayed true to their word.

    T-Mobile announced today that their Unlimited Nationwide 4G data plan is now available to customers at their stores or online. It should be a big boost to T-Mobile’s business after consumers have become increasingly fed up with Verizon and AT&T only increasing the prices of their plans.

    “Since our inception, we’ve always strived to shake up the industry with plans, network capabilities, and innovative products and services for our customers,” said Brad Duea, senior vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “Today’s release of our Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan continues our tradition of bold moves that enhance the customer experience and change the way wireless is done.”

    To convince people to make the switch, T-Mobile is offering a free (after rebate) HTC One S to all who sign a two-year contract. Offering a free HTC One S is a pretty tempting offer when you consider it’s one of the best Android handsets on the market. It will also be getting an upgrade to Jelly Bean later this year.

    Even with the offer of the free HTC One S, it doesn’t excuse the elephant in the room – no iPhone 5. The iPhone 4 and 4S were just recently made compatible with T-Mobile’s network, but that requires customers buy an unlocked iPhone at full price. Not being able to offer a subsidized iPhone 5 alongside their unlimited 4G plan might hurt T-Mobile in the long run.

    Regardless, T-Mobile has become a good guy of sorts among mobile carriers. Offering an unlimited 4G data plan only further cements that image. It still might not be enough to convince people to switch over from carriers that do offer the iPhone and will be selling the iPhone 5 day one.

  • Sprint Rolls Out 4G LTE in Four Markets

    Though Sprint is far behind other mobile carriers in their 4G LTE network implementation, the company has begun making strides. And with less expensive, truly unlimited data plans, customers are generally getting what they pay for.

    Today Sprint announced that it has rolled out its 4G LTE service to four new cities. Subscribers in Baltimore, Maryland; Gainesville, Georgia; Manhattan/Junciton City, Kansas; and Sedalia, Missouri can now connect with faster 4G speeds.

    “Our customers are enjoying new applications and devices that increase the demand for mobile data,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president for network at Sprint. “The network build-out – that today is playing out in four new cities – will provide nothing less than a state-of-the art network platform for the next generation of customers. Customers across the country will begin to experience better 3G service on their devices and will be able to take advantage of 4G LTE on cutting-edge devices as we continue to launch more cities.”

    In addition to its LTE rollout, Sprint also announced that customers in Baltimore, Boston, and Washington D.C. have just gotten the company’s improved 3G service. That should come as a relief, as tests earlier this year found that Sprint’s 3G speeds were abysmal in comparison to the other major carriers.

  • T-Mobile Announces Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data Plan

    T-Mobile Announces Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data Plan

    Unlimited data plans are a thing of the past. AT&T and Verizon still have a few users here and there on grandfathered plans, but they use every trick in the book to get them onto one of their tiered plans. It makes perfect business sense since the gatekeepers are allowed to charge whatever they want for paltry amounts of data. T-Mobile is looking to buck that trend.

    Completely going against current industry trends, T-Mobile announced today that they will begin offering unlimited 4G data to their customers. The company says the new plan is perfect for “both data-hungry customers who want to experience all their smartphones are capable of and those wanting the peace of mind of never having to keep track of their data usage.”

    “We’re big believers in customer-driven innovation, and our Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan is the answer to customers who are frustrated by the cost, complexity and congested networks of our competitors,” said Kevin McLaughlin, vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA. “Consumers want the freedom of unlimited 4G data. Our bold move to be the only wireless carrier to offer an Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan reinforces our value leadership and capitalizes on the strength of our nationwide 4G network.”

    T-Mobile is opening the new unlimited plan to both new and existing customers. New customers need only buy a new phone and they’re set with the new plan. Existing customers will only need to upgrade to the unlimited 4G plan when it becomes available on September 5.

    Unlimited data is nice and all, but how much is it going to cost? Surprisingly, not much at all. T-Mobile says that a single line with the value voice and text plan combined with unlimited data will cost $69.99 a month. A classic voice and text plan with unlimited data will go for a bit more at $89.99 a month. It will obviously cost more for Family plans as the unlimited data will cost $20 per line on the value plan and $30 per line on the classic plan.

    I can see customers angry over Verizon’s and AT&T’s new data plans moving to T-Mobile, but only if the carrier gets better phones. For one, T-Mobile doesn’t carry the iPhone and their Android line-up is severely lacking. The only great Android phone they carry is the Samsung Galaxy S III whereas other popular Android products are exclusive to Verizon and AT&T.

    Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this announcement shakes up the mobile world. Will customers leave carriers like Verizon and AT&T for free unlimited data or will they put up with their current carriers for better phones? It’s a balancing act that consumers unfortunately have to play as carriers continue to evolve their plans for maximum profit.

  • iPhone 5 To Come With 4G LTE Support, As Korean Operator Talks Suggest [Report]

    The next version of the iPhone, which may or may not be called the iPhone 5 (most likely not), is expected to be released the third or fourth week of September, following an expected September 12 unveiling.

    So, we should have close to a month’s worth of leaks, rumors and speculation to tide us over until then. The latest comes from The Korea Times (via TheNextWeb), which reports that SK Telecom and KT officials say they’ve been in talks with Apple. Kim Yoo-chul reports:

    “KT is in negotiation with Apple to persuade the latter to support KT’s 1.8-gigahertz frequency in Korea for the upcoming iPhone,’’ said one KT source, asking not to be identified.

    …

    SK Telecom is also pushing for the same. Officials from the nation’s biggest mobile carrier are currently in Apple headquarters in California to persuade Apple to support SK’s LTE frequency for its local customers.

    SK reportedly uses an 800-megahertz frequency.

    As reported the other day, alleged leaked photos of the device’s motherboard seem to confirm LTE support. As others have noted, this support could put increased strain on the device’s battery.

    More iPhone 5 rumor coverage here.

  • AT&T Is Buying NextWave Wireless For Potentially $50 Million

    AT&T Is Buying NextWave Wireless For Potentially $50 Million

    AT&T announced today that it has agreed to acquire NextWave Wireless. The price is $25 million, plus a contingent payment of up to an additional $25 million.

    Through a separate agreement, AT&T will also acquire NextWave’s debt for a total of about $600 million.

    NextWave holds a significant wireless spectrum portfolio in the United States and Canada, which will become AT&T’s, should the deal go through. AT&T gives a little background on events that led to the purchase:

    WCS spectrum was first auctioned in 1997, but has not been utilized for mobile Internet usage due to technical rules designed to avoid possible interference to satellite radio users in adjacent spectrum bands.

    In June, AT&T and Sirius XM filed a joint proposal with the FCC that would protect the adjacent satellite radio spectrum from interference and enable WCS spectrum — for the first time — to be used for mobile Internet service. This proposed solution on WCS spectrum, which is still under review by the FCC, effectively creates much-needed new spectrum capacity.

    According to AT&T, the proposed WCS rule changes and NextWave acquisition represent an “alternative approach to creating additional wireless network capacity to help support skyrocketing wireless data usage on smartphones and tablets.”

    Of course, the deal must go through FCC review, and other customer closing conditions. AT&T will be able to begin initial deployment of WCS spectrum for added 4G LTE capacity, in about three years, if the deal is approved.

  • Nielsen Says Younger Users Will Adopt 4G Networks

    This probably comes as no surprise, but consumers under the age of 34 in the United States are the most likely to adopt 4G technology.

    From the first quarter in 2011 to the first quarter in 2012, the popularity of 4G devices has grown from 1.4 percent to 7.6 percent.

    While people under the age of 34 account for most of the users already taking advantage of 4G, 63 percent of teens are expected to make the change in the coming year. Regardless of how you break it down, younger people are most likely to be adopting, or considering adopting, 4G technology.

    Take a look at Nielsen’s bar graph:


    Nielsen’s 4 major takeaways for the mobile industry:

    1). While both awareness and adoption of 4G have increased, understanding of 4G remains low as 55 percent of respondents are unable to identify any forms of 4G technology.

    2). Eighty-six percent of 4G smartphone owners are satisfied with their 4G devices, comparable to owners of 3G devices, although satisfaction is notably low for battery life among 4G owners (46%). A portion of 4G smartphone owners report manually toggling between 3G and 4G on their device in an effort to conserve battery life.

    3). Although 39 percent of 4G smartphone owners indicate that 4G was a factor influencing their purchasing decision, only 8 percent identify 4G as the most important factor. The research found that 4G capability is considerably more important for those purchasing a data card or mobile hotspot than either a smartphone or tablet.

    4). Current 4G users are five times more likely to consider 4G as a replacement for their home broadband connection.