Carriers Testing LTE-Enabled iPhone?

[deannnnn]

Judging by how long it took Apple to adopt 3G, I wouldn't expect 4G to hit the iPhone for a few more years.

no, T-Mobile has no LTE networks.

Their commercials that advertise T-Mobile as the largest 4G network in America drive me CRAZY. You don't have 4G, T-Mobile. Shut up and go home.

 

[nickdelvecchio]

I could be wrong, but isn't the fact that the carriers are testing it, not just apple, prove that it is more imminent than we suspected?

I was thinking the same thing. it's probably slated for the iPhone 6 but I would love to see this happen in the 5... the speeds Verizon is claiming, and even the tests I have done have been amazing,(it's widely available in my area) and blow HSPA+ out of the water. (again in my area) Who knows! i'm just waiting for the announcement and i'll be happy!

 

[freediverdude]

One thing that could be in LTE's favor, though, even for inclusion in the iPhone 5, is that Apple could then put the same hardware in both the AT&T and Verizon phones, with just the frequency being a little different. I wonder if putting both backup technologies in the same phone would still be possible though. Would it be cheap enough to also include a 3G CDMA chip and a 3G GSM chip?

 

[ECUpirate44]

Not meant negative, but neither of you know anything about the battery of the iPhone 5. You are making assumptions based on the current iPhone battery.

Unless you think they are going to make it thicker to accommodate a larger battery, (not going to happen) it's safe to assume.

 

[chrmjenkins]

AT&T's LTE network will be in its infancy when the iphone 5 launches. To launch that phone with LTE would crush their new network and create a whole new maelstrom of bad press. It's not coming this year for that and many other reasons.

 

[bbplayer5]

AT&T's LTE network will be in its infancy when the iphone 5 launches. To launch that phone with LTE would crush their new network and create a whole new maelstrom of bad press. It's not coming this year for that and many other reasons.

I tend to agree it wont come out, but not for these reasons. I think the network could handle it to be honest. I have had the same speeds for 7 months on this thing regardless of LTE devices being released. Sure the iphone is a HUGE hurdle and might see a bit of slow down, but it would be fun to see.

 

[gr8whtd0pe]

Just announce the new iPhone already!

Or at least the press conference date.

 

[accessoriesguy]

If the iPhone 5 were to have LTE, it's a reason for many people to upgrade. What other features is it going to have? (Only one I can think of is a rumoured bigger screen)

It needs some big feature to encourage people to get it.

that is pretty true, I notice apple always gives a major reason to need its new product over it's predecessor.

LTE and A5, would be a very nice combo. Not to mention that a updated camera and a couple of other modifications, would make this worthy of the next iPhone. But we wont know till it is announced/released.

 

[profets]

One thing that could be in LTE's favor, though, even for inclusion in the iPhone 5, is that Apple could then put the same hardware in both the AT&T and Verizon phones, with just the frequency being a little different. I wonder if putting both backup technologies in the same phone would still be possible though. Would it be cheap enough to also include a 3G CDMA chip and a 3G GSM chip?

But they can already put the same hardware in both the AT&T and Verizon iPhones by utilizing the qualcomm chipset that they have in the verizon iPhone now since at the base it does support gsm, hspa and cdma (not to mention hspa/3G bands to cover both AT&T and T-Mobile). This is probably what would most likely happen for the iPhone 5.

 

[SockRolid]

LTE in 2012 iPhone at the earliest

Hardware support of LTE != Carrier testing. Code is needed to support any hardware, even if it were just a bunch of parts on a circuit board.

There's no urgency. When LTE is more widely available and when the chipsets for LTE phones become more energy-efficient, Apple can start thinking about rolling out an LTE-enabled iPhone.

Also, LTE is still only "3.9G." LTE Advanced appears to be the leading candidate for the final 4G spec, but apparently the 4G spec still hasn't been finalized yet. What is final is the 4G *requirements* document.

One thing about the real 4G requirements that the carriers don't want anybody to know or understand is that voice and data will be unified into a single packet-switched internet protocol stream. Web surfing, texting, and voice calls will all be handled by data packets, the way your ISP handles your email, Skype calls, FaceTime, etc. 3G and LTE don't do that yet. 4G will, and the carriers don't want to give up separate voice and data plan billing.

 

[chrmjenkins]

I tend to agree it wont come out, but not for these reasons. I think the network could handle it to be honest. I have had the same speeds for 7 months on this thing regardless of LTE devices being released. Sure the iphone is a HUGE hurdle and might see a bit of slow down, but it would be fun to see.

Which network are you talking about? Verizon's backhaul isn't in question and AT&T has no LTE devices yet.

 

[dagamer34]

What am I missing? The starting point here is the report of "testing a 4G LTE-enabled iPhone with carriers" and "evidence of an internal iOS test build ... buried in the firmware."

LTR-enabled iPhone + internal iOS test build == hardware and code.

Apple testing hardware for development is different from carriers testing hardware from release. The difference between the two is at least a few months, if not years. And few stories seem to point that out.

Apple has cell towers on it's campus, and if a story were to leak that Apple has been testing LTE chips since 2009, too many people would have jumped to the conclusion that the next iPhone (either 4 or 5) would have LTE, when practically speaking, there's no way it's going to happen so soon.

 

[bushido]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; de-de) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

they will wait and see how others do it and than innovate it for the better as usual. omg i sound like a fanboy.

 

[toddybody]

Well I never...

 

[mikelegacy]

Given Apple's relatively long product cycle, and the fact that the current iteration of the iPhone is over a year old already, it would be really damaging not to have LTE in the next iPhone (4S or 5). If the new model does indeed get released in Sept/Oct, that means that it will probably be Sept. 2012 before the next model is released. By that time, LTE deployment should be in full swing, and Apple will be far behind its competitors who are already rolling out LTE-capable phones.

My entirely unfounded guess is that the energy-efficient LTE chips scheduled to roll out in early 2012 will make their debut in the iPhone 4S/5 this Fall. Apple has proven that they can get early access to new parts, and keep the manufacturers quiet about them until Apple releases a product containing them. But I guess none of us will know for sure until the next media event.

Agreed entirely. You're crazy if you think Apple doesnt have some of those Dualband Qualcomm chips for testing. Apple can get their hands on any tech they want. They can just threaten to buy out the company if not

But I agree that it doesnt mean it is for the iPhone 5. I don't find it likely that they are testing the iPhone 6 since I'm sure that that phone is still in the major early phases (design probably) and that leads me to believe that even if they aren't testing the chips for USE in the iPhone 5, the testing is most likely being done on the iPhone 5

 

[bushido]

i can already see it for u poor americans

u will have to pay data + tether + lte xD

 

[Ksizzle9]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_10 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E600 Safari/6533.18.5)

I have to say, having iPhone 4G(not fourth gen) would prolly help some morons buy it. I root and jailbreak for friends, and sometimes even their friends. I was talking with...say, an aqqaintance a few months back. He said he wanted "that new Verizon 4G". At that point in time, the thunderbolt was the only LTE phone available. I said"o the thunderbolt?". He said no, the new 4G! After speaking with him for a few I figured out he was talking about the bolt. Long story short, idiots will buy it, even if the only upgrade is "4G". Because bigger is better. In their opinion

 

[haddman]

There's no urgency. When LTE is more widely available and when the chipsets for LTE phones become more energy-efficient, Apple can start thinking about rolling out an LTE-enabled iPhone.

Also, LTE is still only "3.9G." LTE Advanced appears to be the leading candidate for the final 4G spec, but apparently the 4G spec still hasn't been finalized yet. What is final is the 4G *requirements* document.

One thing about the real 4G requirements that the carriers don't want anybody to know or understand is that voice and data will be unified into a single packet-switched internet protocol stream. Web surfing, texting, and voice calls will all be handled by data packets, the way your ISP handles your email, Skype calls, FaceTime, etc. 3G and LTE don't do that yet. 4G will, and the carriers don't want to give up separate voice and data plan billing.

I'm tired of people saying LTE isn't real 4G. Yes, according to the technical standard, which is way more than 99.999% get on wired networks, but c'mon, Verizon LTE is awesome, it's faster than most home cable connections! Also, 2nd generation LTE chips are already on forthcoming Android phones from Samsung and HTC due to be released in the next few months. Why is it such a stretch that Apple may have their hands on them too?? Also, who cares if battery life on 4G is not as good as on 3G? This was the case on the first iPhone 3G, but they put a toggle switch in there. It would be great to be able to flip 4G on when you need the speed to grab a large file or stream a video.

 

[Ksizzle9]

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Guy who said HSPA+ is just as fast or faster than LTE: PLEASE! Give me a break. It may be capable of being faster but it isn't. Also, as LTE advances, do u think it's going to get slower? No. I have a thunderbolt and my upload speeds can easily get 10mbs. My downlink can do 20. Again, easily. I don't have to be at the right spot, at the right time. Please. Think before u speak. I don't care about "theoretical" speeds bc LTE also has higher " theoretical" speeds. I don't mean to sound like an ass. But, if HSPA+ is just as good or better, why is it that AT&T is trying to get their LTE network up and running? I mean, what's the point since they have HSPA+? ya know?

 

[deconstruct60]

I could be wrong, but isn't the fact that the carriers are testing it, not just apple, prove that it is more imminent than we suspected?

No. For example, Verizon had test deployments of their LTE deployed 12 months before it rolled out to the public.

http://www.ciozone.com/index.php/Mo...on-Conducting-LTE-Testing-in-Five-Cities.html

They did technical testing in Boston and Seattle. Then deployed for testing in 5 cities. Then almost 12 months later rolled out to a public launch.

Same process with Apple. They will test in a lab. Then send some prototype with out into the field to test in the "real world" in a couple of cities. They could be months away from locking down their LTE designs.

Is Verizon going to follow ATT and put one of their strongest LTE towers on the cell that covers Apple HQ ? Yeah. But as Attennagate showed, Apple needs to go out in the real world to see what happens in locations where most people are going to use the phone. They need to be in locations where the phone is going to try to flip-flop between LTE and 3G and see what happens. Likewise go somewhere that has a mix of phones of differen brands and see what happens there.

Given tweaking the antennas can impact the physical form of the phone they need to get out into the field before the physical design is completely locked down. Tests and bug fixing in Aug-Nov would allow for a phone next May-July to roll out. (there are lots of other factors that need to be rolled up into a new phone including beta testing of the new OS with developers and new app development. )

 

[nebo1ss]

Judging by how long it took Apple to adopt 3G, I wouldn't expect 4G to hit the iPhone for a few more years.



Their commercials that advertise T-Mobile as the largest 4G network in America drive me CRAZY. You don't have 4G, T-Mobile. Shut up and go home.

If you knew your onions you would know that the definition of 4G was changed to accomodate all the 3g+ networks that are out there including t-Mobile.

 

[cvaldes]

Also, who cares if battery life on 4G is not as good as on 3G?

Steve probably does.

Do you think anyone else's opinion really matters?

In any case, few people benefit from LTE right now on this planet as there are only a handful of operational LTE networks. A few markets in the United States (on one carrier), Scandinavia, a few other spots. Not enough to justify including the technology this year. Maybe next year when continental Europe, southeast Asia, Canada, UK, Australia have functional LTE networks.

But not today.

 

[DMVillain]

No. For example, Verizon had test deployments of their LTE deployed 12 months before it rolled out to the public.

http://www.ciozone.com/index.php/Mo...on-Conducting-LTE-Testing-in-Five-Cities.html

They did technical testing in Boston and Seattle. Then deployed for testing in 5 cities. Then almost 12 months later rolled out to a public launch.

Same process with Apple. They will test in a lab. Then send some prototype with out into the field to test in the "real world" in a couple of cities. They could be months away from locking down their LTE designs.

Is Verizon going to follow ATT and put one of their strongest LTE towers on the cell that covers Apple HQ ? Yeah. But as Attennagate showed, Apple needs to go out in the real world to see what happens in locations where most people are going to use the phone. They need to be in locations where the phone is going to try to flip-flop between LTE and 3G and see what happens. Likewise go somewhere that has a mix of phones of differen brands and see what happens there.

Given tweaking the antennas can impact the physical form of the phone they need to get out into the field before the physical design is completely locked down. Tests and bug fixing in Aug-Nov would allow for a phone next May-July to roll out. (there are lots of other factors that need to be rolled up into a new phone including beta testing of the new OS with developers and new app development. )

That is a good point, you never really know how it will work til it's in the real world.

 

[deconstruct60]

Also, 2nd generation LTE chips are already on forthcoming Android phones from Samsung and HTC due to be released in the next few months.

Whose chips are those? Qualcomm's aren't due till 2012. they are sampling in a couple of months ( maybe now with these prototypes) but not in volume production.

"... Samples of the MDM9615, MDM8215, WTR1605 and PM8018 are anticipated to be available in late 2011. ... "
http://www.qualcomm.com/news/releas...market-ltedc-hspa-chipsets-mobile-broadband-0

Samsung maybe a bit ahead of the game, but not sure they have going to have a solution which allows for broad coverage with a single radio chip. ( separate LTE chip bundled with either CDMA/GSM solution. ). For example, their currrent offering is limited.

"... Samsung's LTE baseband is used in the Craft handset but does not support voice over LTE, only data, ... "
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4215632/Analyst-comments-on-11-vendors--LTE-chips

Even if Samsung is moving this to smaller process (e.g., 45nm t-> 28nm ) this will have bigger impact for dedicated modems than it will for headsets ( e.g. built in LTE for laptops/netbooks .)

 

[bushido]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_10 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E600 Safari/6533.18.5)

I have to say, having iPhone 4G(not fourth gen) would prolly help some morons buy it. I root and jailbreak for friends, and sometimes even their friends. I was talking with...say, an aqqaintance a few months back. He said he wanted "that new Verizon 4G". At that point in time, the thunderbolt was the only LTE phone available. I said"o the thunderbolt?". He said no, the new 4G! After speaking with him for a few I figured out he was talking about the bolt. Long story short, idiots will buy it, even if the only upgrade is "4G". Because bigger is better. In their opinion

well as long as there r people who think "iPhone 4" stands for 4G and Android is a Phone brand, there will always be a market for that