Motorola shows off world's first TD-LTE USB dongle
Though frequency division LTE has won the hearts and minds of most of the Western world's carriers, TD-LTE is emerging as a potential force to be reckoned with in the long-term 4G picture on account of its comparably low deployment cost and the fact that it can used in smaller contiguous blocks of spectrum, while still seamlessly handing off to and from FD-LTE airwaves. Motorola -- probably owing in part to its strong presence in China -- seems to be at or near the forefront of TD-LTE development, reinforcing its standing this week with the news that it's developed the world's first USB modem capable of running on compatible networks. Moto's demonstrating an HD video wall, remote monitoring apps, and (naturally) high-speed internet browsing at a TD-LTE showcase in Shanghai, an event that even some North American bigwigs might be paying close attention to. Fragmentation of 4G technology is always a cause for concern, but if this ultimately means we can use spectrum that otherwise wouldn't be prime enough to upgrade, we're all for it.
