The argument over Apple ’s third - generation iPad not working on Australian LTE networks may be just one mansion of problem ahead for international LTE roaming .
Apple said Tuesday it wouldgive refundsto Australian owners of the fresh iPad if they were let down that the pad could n’t tap into LTE in that country . The company had come under ardor from Australia ’s competition authority for promoting the third - gen iPad as a 4 1000 machine even though it ’s not compatible with any Australian LTE networks . Antipodean iPad possessor have no option but to rely on 3G.
The Australian case is indicative of a looming problem for traveler who want fast services in other countries , according to industry analysts : The scuffle for spectrum to feed peregrine - data appetency is fragmentize the frequencies used for LTE . This is probable to make international roaming harder and relegate some substance abuser to ho-hum speeds than they are used to at home .
Growing diversity
In the age of 2 G , four bands were enough to qualify a handset as a “ globe speech sound ” : The 850MHz , 900MHz , 1800MHz and 1900MHz band were used by most carriers in Europe , Asia and the Americas , or at least those on the globally prevalent GSM standard . With 3 G , tramp remain fairly unproblematic , at least in Europe , where the European Union prescribe certain bands for the unexampled mobile data engineering science . But elsewhere in the world , frequencies bug out to diverge as carriers deploy 3G.
Even now , some 3 gram contributor have to fall back to slower standard such as EDGE when they leave their home land . “ It happens all the time , ” say psychoanalyst Avi Greengart ofCurrent Analysis . For representative , a “ public phone ” equipped for both the CDMA and GSM standard may not forget you stranded without cyberspace access , but it wo n’t assure consistent stop number either , he say .
Now , individual European land want to reuse some of their 2 G and 3 universal gravitational constant spectrum for LTE , and many other band are being adopt elsewhere in the worldly concern for the new engineering science . In the U.S. , Verizon Wireless and AT&T grease one’s palms outer space in the 700MHz spectrum for their 4 G web , Clearwire plans to deploy LTE on 2.5GHz , and more Modern solution are being explored all the time . The3GPP ( Third - Generation Partnership Project)standard for LTE specifies more than 30 different frequence bands in which the applied science can be deploy , though not all of those will necessarily be used , according to the4 G Americasindustry group .
Even discounting bands that are only used for a single , disjunct meshwork , that still leave a foresighted inclination of frequencies , said psychoanalyst Peter Jarich , also of Current Analysis .
“ If we start with this presumption that operators postulate more spectrum , then you terminate up with fragmentation , ” Jarich said . “ The one is just go bad to follow from the other . ”
Two forms of LTE
Adding to the complexness , LTE can be implemented in two unlike variations , which utilise either paired spectrum bands ( FD or absolute frequency - division ) or a unified stripe ( TD or meter - division ) . Which one a immune carrier use depends on what form of frequencies it can get . On top of that , many of the LTE internet set to come on line are n’t build up yet , and some of those do n’t even have frequency portion to them .
“ It ’s going to be a problem for quite some time , ” saidTolaga Researchanalyst Phil Marshall . There are simply too many possible combinations of LTE variants and topically assigned frequencies to practically sell mobile devices that work with all of them , Marshall said .
While it ’s theoretically possible to build a speech sound , tab or portable hot spot that could be used on all the LTE networks in the creation , the labor grows more unmanageable as more band are added , Greengart of Current Analysis said . In addition to including many wireless , the cosmopolitan twist would need an antenna that could be tune well to all those LTE oftenness . Plus , gamy - end handhelds today include Wi - Fi and Bluetooth as well . “ That ’s an frightful lot of frequency bands and aerial , ” Greengart enunciate .
Qualcomm says its Gobi 4G / LTE modem chipset supports most of the frequencies being used for LTE , and it is up to manufacturers to decide which bands to support in a render twist . The 2d generation of the chipset will stick out all the LTE bands , as well as 2 guanine and 3 G stripe , in the 3GPP criterion , Qualcomm enounce . The greater challenge in designing multi - frequency equipment is fitting in the radio - frequency components for each band , according to Qualcomm .
Handset makers and carrier wave are n’t focus on stool twist to run on all the existence ’s LTE networks , Greengart said . “ They ’re concerned in the least expensive machine that works on their internet and , in some cases , work on common internet that their customers necessitate compatibility with . ”
The way out
Over time , mobile operators may be capable to settle on one or two frequency bands uncommitted in most countries to admit LTE roaming , Jarich said . Two possibilities might be TD - LTE in the 2.3GHz or 2.5GHz bands , he said . But a carrier in each country would have to build and run a mesh to make that solvent a realism .
The expert answer for global high - swiftness roaming may fall from Wi - Fi , Jarich said . Cellular carriers and Wi - Fi hotspot hustler are working onmaking it easierfor phones and tablets to cast between mobile and Wi - Fi networks worldwide . TheGSM Association(GSMA ) and theWireless Broadband Alliance(WBA ) say earlier this year they expect to have a framework usable within nine month to make wander with Wi - Fi as smooth as it is between cellular networks .
Wi - Fi , which run on unlicensed frequencies that are fairly consistent around the world , with a few exception , can offer up even more upper than LTE . The fresh roaming techniques will also improve the surety of hotspots , the GSMA and WBA said . But they monish that easy roaming may take a few class to be rolled out .
Stephen Lawson cover mobile , store and networking technologies for The IDG News Service .
