AT&T gives the nod to Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson as equipment suppliers for its 4G network. The two companies are already providing hardware for AT&T’s 3G efforts, and they’re partnered with Verizon.
All of the major wireless vendors are making their move to next-generation cellular
networking technology, known as 4G. AT&T, the second-largest provider, is gearing up
for the next big thing with the announcement that it has reached agreements with the
equipment providers for its 4G network.
While both 3G and 4G both use similar frequency bands and the same bandwidth, the big
difference is the data rates. While 3G is good for up to 2 Mbps, 4G starts at 100 Mbps
and is moving toward 1 Gbps. That should keep iPhone users happy as they sponge up all
the bandwidth on a network.
Verizon Wireless, which is jointly owned by Verizon Communications and Vodaphone,
AT&T Wireless, a subsidiary of AT&T and T-Mobile, the mobile arm of Deutsche
Telekom, have all committed to the Long-Term Evolution standard, or LTE. Sprint Nextel
has cast its lot with
WiMAX, but reportedly has looked at LTE as well.
Read “AT&T Ramps Up LTE Plans and Partnerships” at Enterprise Mobile Today