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Qualcomm plans to bring gigabit data speeds to your car
Remember last year, when Qualcomm pulled back the curtain on its X16 LTE modem? At the time, the chipmaker touted peak download speeds of up to 1Gbps for smartphones, even though gigabit speeds were (and are) basically impossible to experience in the wild. Still, the age of super high-speed wireless data is fast approaching, which is why Qualcomm just announced that it's bringing that X16 modem to cars. It will be a while before you get to torrent movies in a flash from the comfort of your Chevy, though: The modem is baked into a new module reference design that carmakers will likely adopt further down the line.
Comcast doesn't like you using third-party cable modems
Not long after facing consumer backlash for its newly implemented bandwidth caps, Comcast is at it again. Now, as Consumerist reports, the company's being put on display for interrupting a customer's web browsing experience to upsell one of its new modems. According to Comcast subscriber "BB," who contacted said website, the cable and internet giant recently reworked the network in his area, which has since led to a series of emails and calls reminding him to upgrade his modem. BB, however, owns his equipment, as opposed to renting it from Comcast for a monthly fee -- and he says it works perfectly.
FreedomPop jumping from WiMAX to LTE by year's end, iPhone sleeves intact
Followers of FreedomPop's saga have seen the fledgling data-only provider make a few audacious claims: providing free bandwidth, for one, and basing its 4G device lineup as much on iPhone sleeve cases as on traditional access points. Add another one to the list -- the MVNO is planning to switch from Clearwire's WiMAX network to Sprint's LTE before 2012 is over. While FreedomPop is still planning to go forward with WiMAX for the initial deployment, it's now looking to use tri-mode EV-DO, LTE and WiMAX modems and phone cases just months later. We'll see if that leads to existing iPhone 4 and 4S owners getting an LTE fix without having to spring for a new phone; marketing VP Tony Miller wouldn't tell GigaOM more. Either way, it's a mixed blessing for data addicts that might find themselves crashing that much faster through the 500MB regular cap on free data.
Kabel Deutschland sets record with 4.7Gbps download speeds
About a year ago, Arris teased a system capable of 4.5Gbps downloads, and while that technology was in the proof-of-concept phase last June, it's beginning to look more like a real possibility. German network provider Kabel Deutschland just notched a new download speed record using Arris' C4 CMTs and Touchstone CM820S cable modems: a mind-blowing 4,700 Mbps (4.7 Gbps). The cable operator set that world-record rate in the city of Schwerin, where it recently updated its network to 862 MHz. The network may be capable of delivering those 4.7Gbps speeds, but the company noted that current laptops and modems can't even process such blazing data transfer rates. And before you North Americans get too excited, note that KD uses the EuroDOCSIS specification on the 8MHz channel, while the DOCSIS uses the 6MHz scheme in the US and beyond. Still, that's not to say that other cable providers like Verizon FiOS have been slacking lately -- 300Mbps downloads are nothing to scoff at.
NVIDIA confirms no 'Project Grey' until 2013, Tegra 3 LTE later this year
While earnings calls are rarely the veritable dial-in party, sometimes they do toss up a juicy gambit or disappointing revelation. While NVIDIA was dishing out projections for Q1 2013, it pretty much quashed any hopes of seeing an in-house LTE Tegra chip in 2012. While we were assured that Tegra 3 LTE phones would come this year -- based on those partnerships announced back in February -- it was also stated that the thoroughbred Tegra LTE chip wouldn't be a reality until 2013. So, this pretty much ties in with what we had heard, but this time, from the horse's mouth.
NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 chips get LTE support, radio makers GCT and Renesas on board
After yesterday's clarification that Tegra 3's architecture will now be known as 4-PLUS-1, NVIDIA's got something a little meatier to share. The outfit just announced that its quad-core chips are getting LTE support, with modem makers GCT and Renesas pledging support right off the bat. In a way, it's hard to believe Tegra 3 didn't already support 4G officially, given that the chip was detailed a whole five months ago. In any case, these partnerships feel somewhat transitional, given that NVIDIA's "Project Grey" Tegra chips will get integrated, NVIDIA-made modems in 2013, though it might be an exaggeration to say these current partnerships will be moot then. In the meantime, we'd love to get our hands on some quad-core, LTE handsets, but something tells us we'll get our fill in Barcelona.
Sprint's LTE plans detailed: phones, tablets and modems coming by 2012
If you were holding out hope that Tuesday's Apple announcement would be trumped by an exclusive iPhone 5 on Sprint, prepare to be disappointed. The company's confirmed that no new handsets would be shown off at its Strategy Event today. Instead, the carrier is focusing on how it intends to bundle all of those separate radios -- CDMA, LTE, WiMAX -- into a future device line up. Emphasizing the need for an enhanced user experience over 4G technology marketing, the operator stressed a commitment to supporting existing WiMAX subs. Dual-mode CDMA / LTE products are set to launch in the middle of next year, with tablets, smartphones and modems across both the high-end and mid-range to be on offer. Motorola's Sanjay Jha appeared in a taped segment to confirm his company's involvement in the production of these 3G/4G products. Of course, Sprint plans to support current CDMA and WiMAX products, offering them for sale throughout 2012. As for Direct Connect, three of those Push-to-Talk handsets will hit the carrier in the last quarter of 2011, with additional devices planned for 2012.
Samsung and TeliaSonera bringing LTE to vikings in 2010
Scandinavian folks tend to be a pretty cheerful bunch during the summer, and now Swedes and Norwegians will have reason to smile through the cold dark winters as well, with Samsung announcing an agreement to provide TeliaSonera with "mobile broadband devices for commercial service next year." This agreement relates to Sammy's Kalmia 4G USB modem and adds to the Swedish operator's LTE push, which already counts Ericsson and Huawei among the contracted hardware providers. So that's 100Mbps mobile broadband, coming to a snow-covered nation near you within the next dozen months or so. All we would ask of our viking friends now is that they remember their world-conquering ways of the past and start spreading that goodness globally. Come on, it's our right! Full press release after the break.
