After Sprint announced the first WiMAX smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G,  last week at CTIA, an unconfirmed report is circulating about rumor involving Verizon’s plans to offer their own version of this device using their own 4G standard, LTE.

The EVO, with a 4.3 inch WVGA touchscreen and 1 GHZ Snapdragon processor, is the coolest phone on the market to date, with its feature set meeting or exceeding every other smartphone currently available. Sprint’s phone will use it’s 4G standard WiMAX, already available in many large U.S. cities. Verizon’s version will reportedly use the company’s LTE network, though it is still being tested by carriers. The WiMAX-LTE battle for the most prominent spot in the 4G world is on, but we will really begin to see the effects of these competing technologies later this year when LTE finally becomes commercially available. 

Verizon did announce that its first LTE smartphone won’t hit the market until the middle of 2011, making the report of the EVO 4G’s release using LTE somewhat unlikely. With that date over a year away, the HTC EVO will already have been replaced with newer models and updated technology. 

It is possible that this rumor of an LTE EVO is the result of confusion between the smartphone and the HTC Incredible, a different phone that Verizon plans to release in the near future. Both HTC models will run on Google’s Android 2.1 on large WVGA touchscreens, but the Incredible will be slimmer with a slightly smaller screen of 3.7 inches. The Incredible will not offer 4G, but it will have the 3G standard EV-DO, along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a GPS receiver. 

After being given the ok from the FCC this weekend to merge with SkyTerra, equity firm Harbinger Capital Partners announced plans to deploy a nationwide LTE network.

Harbinger plans to design and create a wholesale mobile network that will be available to any company looking for mobile broadband. Harbinger is in the process of creating a new corporation to acquire SkyTerra and plans to use MSS spectrum, the Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) spectrum and terrestrial-only spectrum along with spectrum hosting and pooling agreements with roaming agreements to quickly roll out a network to cover all major markets by Q2 2013. 

The network will use SkyTerra’s next-generation satellites, base stations, backhaul network, network operations centers, and many other devices and resources. This being said, where will the money to fund this project come from and how does Harbinger plan to get the capital? It is estimated that the plan’s cost may exceed $6 billion so it is going to be interesting to see how things will pan out from a financial standpoint. 

Another issue involves Harbinger’s choice to make the network wholesale-only and data-only. What will this mean for operators hoping to connect to the network with a voice over LTE component? Harbinger will be using a variety of spectrum bands, so the question is – will all devices support them? And how will that affect the cost and choice of devices?

A recent trend that will help the satellite industry with this plan is how chipmakers, such as Qualcomm, have begun putting satellite and cellular phone technology in baseband chips embedded in multi-mode phones.

ABI Reasearch analyst Kevin Burden argued back in July that satellite providers seem to have an ulterior motive in positioning themselves as 4G spectrum providers. “The likely number of public-safety, law-enforcement and government market adopters is not enough to support a viable-high growth market. But when you dig deeper, there appears to be a hidden agenda related to using the spectrum for 4G cellular services over the long term.”

The spectrum that satellite operators have is enough to provide 4G services in areas where dedicated spectrum for terrestrial operators is scarce and highly valued.

Though it’s hard to say  how successful this all may be, the plan to expand shows the ways that major companies are beginning to support LTE as the up and coming 4G technology and how they are willing to put the money and effort into making nationwide LTE a reality. 

Samsung Mobile made waves at CTIA 2010 today with two exciting announcements that will affect the future of LTE in big ways. The company just unveiled the first commercially available LTE network infrastructure along with the first LTE-capable, CDMA/4G handset for MetroPCS, the SCH-r900.

Samsung is the top mobile provider in U.S. so it is not surprising that they are one of the first companies to be launching this revolutionary 4G technology. MetroPCS also ranks high in its class in providing unlimited, flat-rate wireless, though it is interesting to note that Verizon and other larger carriers who are LTE proponents were not chosen first. The fact that MetroPCS offers a flat rate may have a lot to do with this decision, whereas larger carriers would have probably wanted to charge more for LTE phones This being said, it seems that Samsung and MetroPCS are a dynamic duo will offer great things for the LTE world.

LTE’s value lies it its ability to make certain services available at the highest download speeds possible while using voice communications to increase productivity and downloadable applications, and once launched, Samsung’s advanced commercial LTE network devices will allow operators to offer advanced services using LTE compatible handsets. This will allow for real-time streaming video on demand, music downloads, and enhanced Web browsing capabilities among other cutting-edge applications and features.

MetroPCS’s plan is to begin deployment of a commercial LTE network in a number of metropolitan markets in the second half of 2010. Las Vegas will be one of the areas where Samsung Mobile LTE network products will be used, and maybe making the announcement at CTIA in Vegas will bring about good things in the future?

Samsung’s network solutions feature a scalable, single rack, enhanced packet core with IP multimedia subsystem products that support rapid deployment and end-to-end quality control through devices. Samsung’s infrastructure also includes open architecture that supports multi-vendor inter-operation through initiatives like the LTE Strategic Test Initiative, incorporating high efficiency multimode amplifiers and energy saving mode.

The ng Connect Program, co-founded by Alcatel-Lucent, announced today that ten new members have joined the program. Some current members of the ng Connect program include Samsung, HP, Atlantic Records, chumby, QNX, and Total Immersion. Founded in 2009, it is a multi-industry organization focused on developing and deploying next generation broadband services based on LTE and other ultra high bandwidth technologies.

New members include CoolSign, Desktone Inc., EON Reality Inc., K12 Inc., LiveCast, Mobideo, Movial, NCR Corporation, Optical Crime Prevention, Inc., and Vidyo Inc. These companies will broaden various parts of the company to expand a variety of self-service solutions, cloud-based IT services, video security, video conferencing, 3D and virtual reality, digital signage, and online education technologies.

The ng Connect Program is very interesting and unique in the way that it brings together companies with a variety of specialties and different backgrounds. These companies range from those like Desktone, who provide virtual desktop hosting platforms to LiveCast, who enable live video streaming directly from cell phones, mobile Internet devices, PCs or Macs to anyone connected to the web. Vidyo Inc. enables multi-party video conferences that enable natural, HD-quality, face-to-face interactions over regular IP networks using commodity desktop systems as endpoints while Movial designs devices for digital services for industry leaders like ARM, Ericsson, Telefonica, Nokia, and Orange.

The ng Connect Program’s focus is creating network-ready applications, services, content, and devices for up and coming LTE networks. Program members have made real headway in developing turnkey solution concepts for 4G/LTE networks. Solutions include advanced point of sale (PoS) technology, advertising platforms, gaming, home management, security applications and the LTE Connected Car. Alcatel-Lucent conducted research on the ways in which consumers will use new LTE and 4G networks while developing these solution concepts.

Research has helped both manufacturers and content providers within specific markets represented in the program to create and specialize solutions concepts for real-world requirements and situations. Solution concepts are designed to aid network operators and service providers in understanding the business models and revenue opportunities that are possible using next generation networks as they hit the market.

Thirty-seven companies are now part of the program, nearly twice the number of its initial membership in the first year, extending their presence in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Real growth and expansion in similar programs and projects that are based on LTE-based initiatives can be expected given LTE’s current momentum in the 4G world. In many ways, 2010 is the year of WiMAX. It has already grown to over 7 million subscribers worldwide with upwards up 400 deployments. This being said, early WiMAX providers – Yota, Clearwire, and Packet One – have been joined by new industry partnerships and alliances with common interests in both WiMAX and LTE. Intel, Nokia, Ericsson, and Sprint have all made comments about the benefits of combining the two technologies in different devices. It will be very interesting to see how this develops in upcoming months as WiMAX continues to build out at a higher than expected rate and LTE testing continues as well.

The ng Connect Program will be demonstrating solution concepts at CTIA 2010 in the Alcatel-Lucent Booth #2506 located in the Central Hall.

Leading provider of next-generation telecommunications network solutions worldwide, Huawei, will demonstrate its mobile broadband solutions at CTIA Wireless 2010 in Las Vegas this week.

Visitors can check out Huawei’s booth (Central Hall 4, #2555) to experience a better connected and more profitable mobile broadband industry through demonstrations of wireless radio access network (RAN), wireless backhaul, core networks, and an android smart device portfolio. 

Huawei will also participate in panel discussions  on “Evolution of Devices, Networks, and Revenue Streams” on March 23 between 2:30 and 3:30 PM and on “4G – 2B or not 2B?” on March 24 between 1 and 2:30 PM. 

Photo courtesy of Christopher Chan via Flickr

As European operators get ready to rollout LTE networks, they are supposedly fighting to retain fees for connecting calls to other mobile operators. This being said, some observers believe that the move to LTE could see the go ahead in Europe for American style flat rate calling plans to all networks instead.

J. Scott Marcus, an analyst for WIK-Consult in Germany, says, “Mobile voice calls and short text messages are some of the most expensive forms of data in the world. There is a debate in the industry over whether operators can justify the prices with LTE.”

The largest operators in the world have agreed to create a new tech standard for transmitting voice calls between different competing LTE networks with aims of preserving Europe’s current regulated termination fees along with the per minute interconnection fees paid by callers.

This being said, the efficiency of LTE may minimize the overall cost of transmitting voice calls and operators that generate about 80% of their revenue from voice calls want to prevent the decrease in prices.

An advisory council in Brussels made up of European national telecom regulators will look at a plan in May to switch the European system from termination rates to one that is similar to the U.S. flat rate system, though most operators are opposed to this change.

If the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) receives the broadband stimulus dollars that they are hoping for, a LTE network will be deployed across 15,120 square miles of desert in the American Southwest.

The NTUA asked for a $46 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and is hoping to soon find out whether or not they have been approved.

The plan involves the deployment of a 550 mile fiber backbone and microwave links to connect 30,000 households in the Navajo Nation, encompassing parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. 

Photo courtesy of Alex E. Proimos via Flickr

ANADIGICS just unveiled a new set of multi-mode, high-performance power amplifiers designed for wireless datacards and handsets for the rapidly growing 4G LTE and advanced HSPA+ technologies. 

Built with fourth generation ANADIGICS’ patented HELP (High-Efficiency-At-Low-Power) technology, these amplifiers offer top-notch performance for customers who are making USB modules and new generation handsets based on the LTE standard.

Prasanth Perugupalli, Director of Wireless RF Products Line at ANADIGICS said, “We are proud to continue driving innovation in power amplifier technology for mobile applications as the industry expands beyond WCDMA toward LTE for 4G applications. With the HELP4 family, we have reduced the average current consumption by an impressive 30% over previous generation PAs. We also continue to lead the industry in terms of performance in current savings at the frequently used low power level handsets.”

LTE appears to be on track to become one of the most dominant 4G technologies for mobile broadband in the next ten years and by 2015, it is expected that LTE will cover up to 50% of all mobile subscriberes in the United States and Western Europe.

After testing and preparing its 4G network in recent months, Verizon finally offered some concrete numbers based on its latest testing.

The LTE network speeds peak at around 40-50 Mbps for downloads and 20-25 Mbps for uploads, not reaching the 100 Mbps that 4G is expected to offer. On an average day, Verizon has been quoted saying average speeds on a populated network would run at around 5-12 Mbps for downloads and 2-5 Mbps for uploads.

To put it in perspective, Sprint’s WiMAX network offers average speeds of 3-6 Mbps for download in comparison to 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps on Sprint’s 3G network.

WiMAX has already been launched by Sprint in 27 markets and Verizon plans to launch its LTE network in 25 to 30 markets nationwide later in 2010. Verizon Wireless senior vice president Tony Melone recently said that Verizon plans to double its 4G footprint within 15 months of launch and to fill out its entire 3G coverage area with 4G by the end of 2013. 

China Mobile’s TD-LTE test network reached a record-high download speed of 80 Mbps.

Deployed to support the Expo 2010 to be opened in Shanghai in May, the TD-LTE test network uses Alcatel-Lucent’s end-to-end LTE solutions.

“Visitors to the Expo will be able to enjoy ultra-speed Internet access and HD multimedia presentations. The test network will help popularize and commercialize the TD-LTE technology in the world,” said Hua Luoxin who is in charge of Alcatel-Lucent’s Chinese business.

LTE is branded 4G as a next generation cellular wireless standard but is also a successor to 3G standard and can support both paired spectrum and unpaired spectrum at the same time.

Photo courtesy of Jakob Montrasio via Flickr