AT&T’s 4G LTE network goes live in Chicago; images reveal impressive speeds

AT&T’s 4G LTE network went live this past weekend in the Chicago area, and initial speed tests reveal impressive download speeds. AT&T has yet to announce the availability of LTE service in Chicago or any other launch market, but BGR has obtained exclusive images and speed test results from a source who has tested the network there. Ahead of an official launch, AT&T 4G LTE service is likely to be available only intermittently during testing, though it is also possible that Chicago has been soft launched following the launch of AT&T’s first two 4G LTE devices last week. Read on for more.

 

AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won't visit

If you’re walking through New York City today, you may notice that your AT&T phone just got a little bit faster. But you probably won’t. The carrier activated a new broadband cell site in Manhattan’s Turtle Bay area in Midtown — somewhere between Times Square and the Upper East Side — in a five-block area that few tourists ever visit. The company says the upgrades are part of a larger plan to enhance coverage across the nation and eventually roll out 4G LTE coverage, with help from recently acquired T-Mobile — that is if all goes well in court, of course.

 

Verizon further expands LTE network, says it now covers more than half the US population

Verizon’s latest LTE network expansion may be a tad small compared to some previous ones — encompassing 15 new markets, plus some additional coverage in ten existing ones — but it was enough to push the carrier over one significant milestone. It now says that the network encompasses some 160 million Americans, or more than half the US population. As Verizon is quick to point out, that’s a feat it managed to accomplish in just eight months.

Head on past the break for the press release with the complete list of markets covered.

Verizon 4G LTE Announcement – More Cities Now With Coverage

Verizon Wireless has just released a list of more cities and areas that are now covered under their 4G LTE service. It’s nice to see that some of these areas being covered now are mid sized towns. This is a great sign that 4G is not too far off from reaching rural communities and small towns. Keep in mind that some of the cities listed below already had 4G but have been expanded even more.

• Fayetteville / Springdale / Rogers, AR
• Albany, NY
• Tucson, AZ
• Ithaca, NY
• Bakersfield, CA
• Rockland / Westchester, NY
• Salinas / Monterey / Seaside, CA
• Syracuse / Central, NY
• Fort Collins, CO
• Cincinnati, OH
• Washington, DC
• Columbus, OH
• Atlanta, GA
• Altoona, PA
• Tampa, FL
• Johnstown, PA
• Boston, MA
• Memphis, TN
• Worcester, MA
• Ogden, UT
• Baltimore, MD
• Provo, UT
• Lansing, MI
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Omaha, NE

via:bbos

Verizon Wireless promos $20 plan for the data reluctant

For those of you living close to our nation’s circle of political puissance, Verizon’s got a promotional offer that’ll help you feel like one of the data-dependent elite. Available starting today and running through September 30th, existing voice subscribers in Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia can begin their trek towards an always-connected lifestyle by tacking on 300MB of data for $20 per month. The deal’s intended for cost-conscious customers who haven’t yet learned “the many benefits of… a smartphone,” and is open to any of the operator’s 3G or 4G LTE handsets. Be sure to hit the break to find out more in the presser below, but we warn you — internet addiction is a slippery, costly slope.

RIM touts 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook following cancellation of WiMAX model

Following Sprint’s confirmation that it has chosen not to move forward in releasing a 4G WiMAX-enabled version of RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, RIM said it has decided to focus instead on LTE. “RIM has decided to prioritize and focus its 4G development resources on LTE,” RIM said in an emailed statement on Friday. “We remain excited and committed to delivering innovative and powerful 4G tablets to the US market together with our carrier partners. Testing of BlackBerry 4G PlayBook models is already underway and we plan to enter labs for network certifications in the US and other international markets this fall.”

 

BGR

Sprint cancels plans to sell 4G BlackBerry PlayBook

If you were patiently waiting to get your hands on a 4G PlayBook from Sprint before the end of the summer, your wait just got a lot longer. Just as we thought we were getting closer to seeing a 4G BlackBerry PlayBook arrive on Sprint, the company has stated that they have cancelled all plans to make the tablet available for sale. Sprint claims the PlayBook “just hasn’t caught on with business customers” and “There are so many tablets in the market, it creates confusion for the average customer”. Back in January Sprint announced they would be carrying the PlayBook but we never received an official release date. So with this news it looks like none of the major carriers are on board to pick up the 4G PlayBook just yet and leaves us asking just when we’ll actually see it hit the market.

Source: WSJ

via:cb

AT&T’s first 4G LTE smartphone due by year-end

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AT&T senior vice president of mobility and consumer markets Pete Ritcher took the stage during the Oppenheimer Technology and Communications Conference on Wednesday, where he confirmed that AT&T will launch its first 4G LTE smartphone by the end of this year. Ritcher reaffirmed AT&T’s intention to deploy its LTE network in 15 markets covering 70 million people by the end of 2011, and it hopes to continue its roll-out on a market-by-market basis, Fierce Wireless reported. AT&T will initially only offer laptop cards alongside the new LTE network, and AT&T is expected to launch 4G LTE in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio this summer. “We are the only carrier with LTE and HSPA+,” Ritcher said. “When you don’t have LTE you will fall back to faster speeds than our competitors,” he added, noting that Verizon’s 4G customers fall back to the slower EV-DO network when LTE is not available.

Read

BGR

AT&T to soon begin revoking unlimited data from jailbreak hotspot users

AT&T confirmed to BGR that it will soon begin revoking unlimited data plans from jailbroken iPhone users and other smartphone users who utilize unauthorized tethering and mobile hotspot solutions. Following reports from earlier this year, AT&T on Thursday confirmed that it will remove grandfathered unlimited data plans from accounts belonging to users who tether or use unsanctioned mobile hotspot apps without a tethering plan, which is expressly prohibited by AT&T according to its terms and conditions. “Earlier this year, we began sending letters, emails, and text messages to a small number of smartphone customers who use their devices for tethering but aren’t on our required tethering plan. Our goal here is fairness for all of our customers,” an AT&T spokesperson told BGR via email. The letter outlines three choices for customers who had been making use of unauthorized tethering solutions, one of which is “Do nothing and we’ll go ahead and add the tethering plan on their behalf — after the dated noted in their customer notification.” According to earlier reports, offending users will automatically be bumped to AT&T’s more recent tiered data plan, which affords 2GB of smartphone data and 2GB of tethering data for $45 each month compared to AT&T’s old unlimited smartphone data plan, which costs $30 each month but does not include tethering. A new report from 9to5 Mac claims that users will begin losing unlimited plans as soon as August 11th, but AT&T stated that the policy enforcement date varies depending on when the offending subscriber was sent the notification letter. AT&T’s full statement follows below.

 

Earlier this year, we began sending letters, emails, and text messages to a small number of smartphone customers who use their devices for tethering but aren’t on our required tethering plan. Our goal here is fairness for all of our customers. (This impacts a only small percentage of our smartphone customer base.)

The letters outline three choices:

1. Stop tethering and keep their current plan (including grandfathered unlimited plan)
2. Proactively call AT&T or visit our stores and move to the required tethering plan
3. Do nothing and we’ll go ahead and add the tethering plan on their behalf — after the dated noted in their customer notification

via: bgr

An interview with RIM's Managing Director for the UK & Ireland, Stephen Bates

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

While Ewan was busy checking out the new BlackBerry 7 devices today in the UK, he took some time out to sit down with RIM’s Managing Director for the UK & Ireland, Stephen Bates. Mr. Bates talked on the new devices, the BlackBerry 7 OS, Liquid Graphics and the international reach of the BlackBerry platform. He goes on to say that this is the biggest global launch for RIM to date and more devices are certainly on the way. Sit back, relax and check out the full interview above (make sure you stick it out til the end!) then read more on the upcoming BlackBerry smartphones.

via: cb