O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Long-Term Evolution

  • Rumor: Apple’s talks with Korean wireless carriers suggest LTE support for next-gen iPhone

    You’ve been waiting for the iPhone to support the Long Term Evolution (LTE)/4G protocol for a while.

    It looks like you might get your wish.

    Per Korea Times, SK Telecom and KT, two official Korean iPhone wireless carriers, have both been in talks to offer LTE connectivity on Apple’s next handed, officials from both companies reportedly told the Korea Times under the veil of anonymity.

    Although industry trends and the inclusion of LTE in this year’s iPad models both point to an LTE-capable iPhone next month, supporting the technology isn’t as clean cut as supporting existing 3G networks, which all operate within a 2.1-gigahertz frequency.

    “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 senior KT executive, who asked not to be identified. Meanwhile, SK Telecom is also reportedly pushing for the same treatment for its 800-megahertz frequency LTE network. It sent this week an official to Apple’s Cupertino-based headquarters in hopes of hammering out a deal.

    The number of LTE subscribers in Korea reached 8.4 million by the end of July, with 4 million of them choosing SK’s network and another 1.4 hinged to KT’s. The two iPhone providers, along with rival carrier LG Uplus, have been heavily promoting LTE devices on their network to much success.

    The carriers fear, however, that sales of the new iPhone will suffer in much the same way that sales of Apple’s new iPad have lagged behind in the region because Apple has thus far refused to support the local carriers’ frequencies in the LTE-equipped versions of the tablet.

    “KT is eager to narrow the market gap with SK Telecom and even LG Uplus in the fight for LTE-enabled devices,” said another KT source. “If the talks with Apple produce visible results, then we will rise as the top LTE service provider in Korea.”

    Apple had balked at the inclusion of LTE connectivity in previous generations of the iPhone because because the first wave of LTE chipset were a bit too large and power-hungry for the company’s liking. Since then, more advanced designs from chipmakers like Qualcomm have mitigated those concerns.

    In the US, Verizon LTE network uses a 700-megahertz frequency, while AT&T operates both 700-megahertz and 2.1-gigahertz LTE networks.

    For its part, Sprint’s utilization a 800-megahertz frequency for LTE saw it left out of Apple’s LTE iPad plans earlier this year but subsequent reports claim the carrier has already forged a deal with Apple to make sure the omission doesn’t carry over to the launch of the so-called iPhone 5 next month.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • 4G LTE network code located in iOS 5 beta code

    If you were hankering for 4G LTE speeds on the upcoming iPhone 5, your wish might come true.

    Per MacRumors, evidence has surfaced that Apple has built 4G Long-Term Evolution testing code into beta builds of iOS 5, prompting further speculation that the iPhone maker will adopt the standard in future versions of its mobile devices.

    Recently, a rumor emerged that Apple’s carrier partners have begun testing an iPhone prototype with LTE, based in part on code reportedly from an internal iOS test build that was sent to “one of Apple’s major carrier partners.” That code has now been found in recent builds of iOS 5 issued to developers.

    The GSM iPhone 4 and CDMA iPad 2 builds of iOS 5 apparently contain an LTE.plist file with a “key” tag for a “Connected mode LTE Intra-frequency Measurement.” However, the file is not found in other “counterpart” versions of iOS 5 and has only been located in “at least the last couple” of beta builds of the forthcoming upgrade.

    LTE is the 4G network standard of choice for carriers such as Verizon and AT&T, with real-world data rates of between 5 and 12 megabits per second downstream, and 2 to 5 Mbps up. Verizon launched its network first late last year, while AT&T plans to reach 70 million customers in 15 markets by the end of 2011.

    Though rumors have suggested that Apple’s partners are testing LTE iOS devices, separate reports claim LTE technologies will not be ready for Apple to mass produce until at least 2012. Qualcomm’s LTE chips are said to be experiencing problems with “yield rates” that will prevent Apple from implementing them this year.

    Last week, spy shots allegedly showing LTE equipment being installed at a “major” Apple Store followed on the heels of the rumor that Apple’s carrier partners have been testing an LTE-capable iPhone. The leaked photos drew speculation that Apple was improving LTE signals in its stores ahead of the release of some kind of LTE-compatible device from the company.

    It should be noted that there has yet to emerge any strong evidence that Apple will include LTE in the fifth-generation iPhone, which is expected this fall. Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said in April that “the first generation of LTE chipsets force a lot of design compromises with the handset,” some of which the company is unwilling to make.

    Executives from Verizon and China Mobile have hinted that Apple is planning an LTE iPhone, but have been unable to provide further details.

    Stay tuned for additional information as it becomes available.

  • Verizon COO states new iPhone announcement would arrive from Apple, not Verizon

    verizonlogo.jpg

    Per the cool cats at Macworld, Verizon President and COO Lowell McAdam commented made a recent comment at the CTIA conference in San Francisco that reports of a Verizon iPhone would be addressed by Apple, not Verizon.

    When asked to comment about a story from The Wall Street Journal that Apple will begin building a Verizon-compatible iPhone by the end of the year, McAdam dismissed the story as “one of those things that rolls out every few weeks whether there’s a basis for it or not.”

    “I can’t give you any insights,” he continued. “But I think Apple is the one that has to make that announcement.”

    McAdam remains hopeful that a deal will eventually be reached, especially as Verizon rolls out its Long-Term Evolution 4G data network.

    “What I’ve always said is I expect at some point in time our business interests are going to align,” McAdam said. “I think things like LTE are another great reason why they’d want a device or tablet on that network. But I don’t have anything to say today about timing.”

    Back in September, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg downplayed rumors of an upcoming Verizon iPhone by telling investors that he hopes Apple will work with Verizon to sell an LTE 4G smartphone.

    Despite the remarks, rumors have persisted that a CDMA iPhone will arrive in early 2011.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.