A country that was recently the butt of jokes due to its ongoing reliance on CDMA networks now finds itself a global leader in next-generation cellular technology. According to a new report from Pyramid Research, the United States will account for the largest share of 4G LTE subscriptions in the world this year. Twenty-six carriers around the globe have launched LTE networks thus far according to the GSA, but just three will account for 47% of all LTE connections in 2011: Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS and AT&...

According to a new report from Retrevo, consumer “confusion and skepticism” could impede the adoption of 4G devices. We’re not surprised. The labeling on 4G devices is apparently so confusing that 34% of iPhone 4 owners and 24% of BlackBerry users actually believe they have a 4G-capable device, but neither RIM nor Apple currently offer a phone capable of running on any 4G networks. 30% of those polled said data plans currently cost too much for them to upgrade to 4G, and 19% said they didn&#...

Earlier this week T-Mobile announced the Rocket 3.0, a new USB data stick built by ZTE that’s capable of running on T-Mobile’s new upgraded 42Mbps HSPA+ 4G network. As our luck would have it, the friendly FedEx guy just dropped off the Rocket 3.0. T-Mobile’s newly upgraded 42Mbps network is available in new markets 55 markets, as well as in New York City, Orlando, and Las Vegas. In our office we averaged 1.17Mbps on the downlink, and 1.07Mbps on the uplink. That’s slow, and in New Yor...

It’s no secret that Clearwire’s going through a rough patch and, in an interview with CNET, Clearwire’s chief operating officer Erik Prusch said that the carrier may eventually switch from WiMAX to LTE. “WiMAX to date has been a very good technology choice for us,” Prusch said. “We were able to take advantage of the speed to market before LTE was even a glimmer in anyone’s eye. But we recognize the ecosystem in the U.S. will be larger for LTE than WiMAX, so we are con...

A study published by U.K. based paper The Telegraph tries to shed some light on the mobile data disparity. The report, which was commissioned by Bytemobile, indicates that 10% of mobile broadband users account for 90% of data traffic across wireless networks. The news, while not all that surprising, comes as mobile carriers the world over warn that the data demand may exceed their ability to build-out networks capable of handling the increased traffic. Over the past year, wireless providers have been adjustin...

Waiting for Verizon Wireless to light up 4G LTE in your hood? Droid-life has got a hold of what they are reporting to be some of the next cities Verizon looks to be launching 4G service. At the end of 2011, we should see at least 140 markets be blanketed with LTE coverage, and by 2013, Verizon is aiming to have at least 2/3 of the country covered. Hit the break for some of the rumored 2011 markets.Update: Sorry, folks. This slipped by me — it’s confirmed by Verizon. (more…)

A study conducted recently by network technology firm Arieso showed that Android users move more data over cellular networks than any other group of smartphone users. The study mentions high-resolution cameras along with video recording and sharing capabilities as being among Android’s biggest bandwidth hogging features. Due to Android’s rapid growth, carriers find themselves struggling to keep up with the ever-increasing congestion on their networks. “Smartphone subscriptions are rising and...

AT&T might not call its HSPA+ network “4G” like T-Mobile does, but trust us when we tell you… AT&T’s enhanced 3G network can move. The screen shot above, taken just outside New York city on Wednesday afternoon, shows an iPhone 4 enjoying download speeds of 5Mbps on AT&T’s HSPA+ network. According to AT&T CTO John Donovan, 80% of AT&T’s network is now covered by HSPA+, though he did not elaborate on average speeds are experienced in various regions. Donov...

Yesterday, the New York Times reported that Google and Verizon were, “nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege.” The Federal Communications Commission has been trying, and failing, to prevent such deals from occurring, thanks largely in part to an April court ruling that stated the FCC “lacked the authority” to prevent service providers from slowing or ...

This information comes from a new tipster, but we have very good reason to believe that Verizon will begin rolling out its LTE network in 25 markets starting on November 15th. While 25 markets might not sound like a lot, but apparently they’re enough to give 100 million subscribers access to the next-generation wireless network. LTE handsets will not be immediately available at launch, but Verizon is planning to release “a slew of new devices” on Black Friday which is on November 26th. LTE ...

Verizon has marked yet another milestone on the road to LTE, as the carrier announced it has completed LTE technical trials in Boston and Seattle. Said David Clevenger, executive director of public affairs at Verizon Wireless, “technical trials are staged [and] tiered in accordance with industry standards. They’re [now] completed.” Verizon’s next step will be to initiate “friendly user trials” in which people, presumably employees, will test the network in five cities. Verizon ...

Tiered data plans have been part of RIM’s long term strategy, and we safely assume the boys and girls in Waterloo are pretty happy at the news this morning. RIM let us know that:These new pricing plans will translate to savings for BlackBerry customers due to the industry-leading efficiency of the BlackBerry platform. Thanks to RIM’s longstanding focus on wireless data efficiency and investment in related technologies and infrastructure, the BlackBerry platform is significantly more efficient than oth...

We really love the boys and girls over at RIM, but if you haven’t already noticed, they’re pretty much stuck in 1998. Why do we say that? Well, RIM’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis (who is absolutely brilliant) started spewing off his nonsense on data conservation at MWC and how “manufacturers had better start building more efficient applications and more efficient services. There is no real way to get around this.” Oh, but there is, Mike. It’s called actually having a wireless data...