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Russia's major mobile operators join hands for unified LTE rollout

Darren Murph — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 01:27:00 EST

Ringo and co. said it best, and now Beeline, Megafon, MTS and Rostelekom are getting a little help from their friends. Er, friend. Or maybe it's the other way around? At any rate, the first four have just signed a deal with Yota to build out a nationwide LTE network that'll work across the board. Rather than forcing each operator to do their own thing, the four in question will now have the option to buy 25 percent stakes in Yota; according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, this unified effort will enable Russia's economy to reap the benefits of a widespread 4G network while other nations (ahem, America) fight to see whether it'll be WiMAX or LTE taking the lead. If you'll recall, Yota was actually one of the first carriers on the planet to serve up commercial 4G, but last year it decided to make the switch from WiMAX to the suddenly popular LTE. The goal here is to have LTE in 180 cities with a total population of more than 70 million citizens by 2014, and we're told that those situated on Little Diomede may actually be the first to get LTE in Alaska. Kidding. Maybe.

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Russia's major mobile operators join hands for unified LTE rollout originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 01:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Russia's Yota pulls the trigger, plans migration from WiMAX to LTE

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:49:00 EST

Remember what HTC's first WiMAX phone was? The EVO 4G's getting all the attention these days, of course, but it was actually Russia's Yota that announced the so-called MAX 4G with Windows Mobile way back in November of '08. Being first to market doesn't always mean you're the most successful, though -- and in the battle for 4G data, WiMAX seems to be rapidly losing momentum to LTE, including an announcement by Yota late last week that they'd be spending $100 million to roll out LTE in five cities this year on the way to a total of $2 billion. Putting it bluntly, Yota says that "the world's biggest operators and device makers such as Nokia and Samsung have chosen the LTE standard... following the global trend, we are seeking to give our clients the best solutions." In other words, it believes LTE is going to be the "best solution" going forward -- and considering the number of manufacturers, carriers, and industry associations throwing their weight behind it at this point, it's hard to disagree.

Russia's Yota pulls the trigger, plans migration from WiMAX to LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 14:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nearly two million mobile WiMAX subscribers worldwide by year's end, most eyeing LTE suspiciously

Paul Miller — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:11:00 EST

The folks at ABI Research have done up a nice summary of the status of mobile WiMAX globally, saying that they expect the total number of subscribers to be at around two million come January. Overall it's not the most optimistic picture, with many service rollouts falling short of their projected aims both in availability and in subscribers, South Korea's numbers "stagnant," and LTE breathing down everybody's necks -- particularly in the US and Japan. Still, there are some notable bright spots, most particularly Russia's Yota service, which broke 200,000 subscribers last month after five months of commercial operation, and which is also flirting with profitability at this early stage. Clearwire is the other main shining light, with "more-than-adequate funding" allowing for an increased pace of deployment. It's hard to say just exactly what sort of market share we should expect from WiMAX in the long run, but after the painful eons of CDMA vs. GSM, we really are rooting for one of these 4G technologies win decisively over the other.

Nearly two million mobile WiMAX subscribers worldwide by year's end, most eyeing LTE suspiciously originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearwire eyes global WiMAX roaming agreement, Kanye blurts out: 'LTE is better!'

Darren Murph — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:26:00 EST

Pinky and the Brain were consulted, and you can rest assured they were both highly supportive of Clearwire's latest initiative. Announced today in cooperation with Russia's Yota and Japan's UQ Communications, Clearwire has banged out a memorandum of understanding with the aforesaid WiMAX carriers that "identifies the objectives and activities each operator will perform towards the realization of establishing WiMAX roaming between the [two]." With translators in tow, the trio are hoping to define and institute the necessary processes that'll ensure devices from each carrier works on the other's network, and while American's probably couldn't care less about these two operators in particular, it's the thought that counts. Just imagine -- 4G global roaming at a decent price point. That, friends, is the future.

Filed under: Peripherals, WiMAX

Clearwire eyes global WiMAX roaming agreement, Kanye blurts out: 'LTE is better!' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearwire eyes global WiMAX roaming agreement, Kanye blurts out: 'LTE is better!'

Darren Murph — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:26:00 EST

Filed under: Wireless

Clearwire eyes global WiMAX roaming agreement, Kanye blurts out: 'LTE is better!' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC MAX 4G gets a proper unboxing in Russia

Darren Murph — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:12:00 EST

Oh, HTC. Why do you tease us? For the legions of phone fanatics not located in Russia, the images hosted up in the read link are about as close as you all will ever get to Yota's HTC MAX 4G. The world's first GSM + WiMAX handset has been acquired by an evidently affluent individual who reportedly threw down around $1,300 in greenbacks in exchange for this gem. Those familiar with the HTC Touch HD won't find too many dissimilarities, but we'll stop bothering you with these "words" and allow you to give the images some careful attention.

[Via wmpoweruser, thanks Daniel]

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, WiMAX

HTC MAX 4G gets a proper unboxing in Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC MAX 4G gets a proper unboxing in Russia

Darren Murph — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:12:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC MAX 4G gets a proper unboxing in Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Russian HTC MAX 4G reviewed by non-Russian reviewer

Tim Stevens — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:42:00 EST

Been pining for more information on HTC's chunky GSM / WiMAX handset, the HTC MAX 4G? Read on, comrade, because you've come to the right place: "friendly Malaysian guy" and blogger nextimelah has imported one and given a full review of the phone -- well, as full as you can get when you can't read Cyrillic. You see, the phone is still only available at Russian provider Yota and, while you might think a phone like this would offer an English mode, the language is apparently integrated into the device's ROM. So beware, potential importers. Short of the massive language barrier the phone gets high marks, described as being effectively a Diamond with a bigger, better screen -- which may or may not work for you depending on the size of your pockets. The ability to call fellow Yota subscribers via VoIP directly from the phone is intriguing, but sadly it only works when you're on Yota's WiMAX network -- not anybody else's -- again making this one less than import friendly.

[Via wmpoweruser.com]

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, WiMAX

Russian HTC MAX 4G reviewed by non-Russian reviewer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC MAX 4G officially announced, world's first GSM / WiMAX phone

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:57:00 EST

Hey Sprint, you listening? Granted, GSM doesn't do Sprint a whole lot of good in the States, but swapping a CDMA radio into HTC's first WiMAX effort here would make for a downright mighty response to the Touch HD. The previously-seen T8920 has turned out to be the MAX 4G, an 800 x 480 monster with 8GB of Flash on board, two cameras, an FM radio, GPS, WiFi, triband EDGE, and -- most importantly -- WiMAX support, making it the first GSM / WiMAX handset anywhere in the world. It'll be launching on Scartel's Yota network in Russia, and if you have friends cool enough to have a MAX 4G of their own, calls between the two of y'all will automatically be routed over the WiMAX airwaves using VoIP. A launch date hasn't been announced, but unless you're in Russia, there's probably not much point in even bothering to lust after this one. If you insist, though, you can check out a couple additional shots of the phone over at Engadget Mobile.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC MAX 4G officially announced, world's first GSM / WiMAX phone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC MAX 4G officially announced, world's first GSM / WiMAX phone

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:57:00 EST

Gallery: HTC MAX 4G officially announced, world's first GSM / WiMAX phone

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE

HTC MAX 4G officially announced, world's first GSM / WiMAX phone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC's first WiMAX-enabled handset revealed: T8290, from Russia with Speed

Darren Murph — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:12:00 EST

With Sprint snagging the vast majority of the WiMAX limelight of late, we aren't going to complain with a similar network halfway across the globe yanking it back. Out of absolutely nowhere comes HTC's first WiMAX-enabled handset, the sure-to-be-delightful T8290. Reportedly, this bugger packs a 3.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, 802.11g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, GSM and WiMAX radios and is expected to launch soon on Russia's Yota. Granted, we can't take this as hard truth or anything quite yet, but the images that reside in the read link are more than convincing. Oh, and HTC -- given that you're passing on the US with the Touch HD, do you think it'd be possible to get this over here for use with XOHM? We'd really, really appreciate it.

[Via Slashphone, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

HTC's first WiMAX-enabled handset revealed: T8290, from Russia with Speed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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