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back to article First WiMAX handset launched, again

Americans will get a 4G handset in the summer from HTC and operating over WiMAX, though even America's WiMAX operator admits that LTE is technology of the future. The handset is called the EVO, rather than "supersonic" as was rumoured, but the specs remain the same as it sports Android OS running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon …

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  1. Anton Ivanov
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    He is right

    There is little network difference between the two. Both rely on IPv6/Mobile IP. LTE PDN gateway can very happily be a WiMax ASN and vice versa. Similarly, the backhaul can be reused and shared and so on. Similarly, you can control services on a WiMax network using IMS (if you are crazy enough to do so) instead of using WiMax MAC layer capabilities.

    The "who is winning" is pretty much a storm in a teacup brewed by journos and pundits. Both architectures are interchangeable and can be mixed and shared provided that you stick to the more generic principles and not go into a feature frenzy.

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  2. Jerome 0
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    Lovely

    Looks like a beautiful phone too, everything that the Supersonic was rumoured to be. But I can't hang around to see if they plan to bring anything like it to the UK, so it's a Desire for me.

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  3. Timo

    Sprint has enough spectrum to do whatever they want.

    Sprint has a huge chunk of spectrum where they currently have WiMax deployed. They have so much that they could run WiMax and LTE side-by-side, and still have room for 5 other technologies.

    What Sprint/Clear do not have, however, is piles of money that it would take to do that.

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  4. Dan Shannon

    R e a l l y...

    LTE is not ******* 4G - really !

    And as for not having devices some one tell that to Telia, I imagine they'd be surprised since they have an LTE network carrying live traffic over LTE dongles...

    But yes the differences are academic and already settled - WiMAX simply doesn't have the longer term capability to compete with LTE hence why everyone jumped ship two years ago, and rolling out a tactical solution in lieu of a more longer term solution on the horizon (i.e. roadmap juggling) is a well judged solution.

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    1. Olof P
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      Note how all they said was that...

      ...LTE networks are currently limited to data-only traffic. Or are you aware of hem carrying voice traffic over dongles as well (apart from VoIP, of course)?

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  5. alexr

    Is LTE 4G or 3.9G?

    Ok as far as I understood it LTE didn't fully comply with the 4G standard and is therefore still known as a 3.9G technology.

    Having recently spoke to Wraycastle and people at Vodaphone it looks like the UK will not be adopting WiMAX at any time in the near future and are going to adopt LTE.

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  6. Dan Shannon

    Indeed

    No categorically LTE is not 4G - the give away is in the name (or even more clearly its full name on the radio access - where the "G" usually comes from) - if you think of 3G, then HS is 3.5 so from there it could be construed that LTE is 3.75 - but to be honest the distinctions are pretty pointless anyway and its just media sound bites carried way past there usefulness.

    As yet I know of no official WiMAX deployments in the UK - BT I think did some testing in Milton Keynes a while back. This may change as a result of the spectrum auctions later this year though - watch this space (sorry bad pun).

    All voice in LTE will be VoIP - but I get what your saying - I think Telia use Ericsson so by end of this year they would have a fully workable VoIP on the E-PC as the IMS systems are resolved.

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