New 4G LTE Network

While AT&T finishes preparations on its new 4G LTE network, the carrier will begin selling the first two devices that will connect to it on August 22. The two devices, a USB stick called the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G, and a mobile hotspot called the AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G, could connect at speeds ten times faster than previous such devices release by the carrier.

The new LTE devices can connect to AT&T's HSPA+ 3G network when and where the 4G LTE network is not available. AT&T will begin selling the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G in black and silver for $49.99 with two-year contract after a $50 mail-in-rebate. The AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G will be available in black for $69.99 with 2-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Another device, the AT&T USBConnect Adrenaline, which went on sale earlier this year) will be upgradable to LTE via a software download beginning August 26.  AT&T also confirmed data pricing for data-only mobile broadband devices on the company’s forthcoming LTE network. Owners of AT&T LTE devices can buy the same $50-for-5GB data plan available for AT&T 3G devices. An overage charge of $10 per gigabyte applies when the 5GB limit is exceeded.

AT&T's new LTE network will roll out in five markets Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. By the end of 2011, AT&T says it plans to offer 4G LTE to customers in at least 15 markets, covering 70 million Americans

Table HSPA+ in the USA

AT&T	14.4 Mbit/s HSPA+ upgrade covering 250 million people by year’s end.	21 Mbit/s 3G upgrade as a fall-back to LTE?	LTE deployment continues, no word yet on HSPA+.
T-Mobile USA	21 Mbit/s HSPA+ in 100 markets by year’s end, covering 200 million people. (65 cities online now.)	42 Mbit/s dual-channel upgrade across the 3G network	Possible 84 Mbit/s upgrade if 2X2 MIMO-capable phones are available?

Next year Verizon plans to deliver voice calls over LTE, using Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for video chatting and Skype. Currently, only the LG Revolution supports VoLTE. Unfortunately, while a VoLGA solution supports seamless call handover to/from the existing GSM/3G networks, it doesn’t support voice fallback on Verizon’s CDMA network. It also appears that there will be no handover between the LTE networks run by AT&T and Verizon, even though they use the same basic technology.

Sprint’s Nexus S 4G ($ 99) from Samsung is the WiMAX version of the official “Google Phone,” and comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, NFC and supports Google Offers and Google Wallet. Other Sprint WiMAX phones include the Motorola PHOTON 4G ($ 199) with a 1GHz dual-core processor, HTC EVO View 4G with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon and HTC EVO 3D with a 4.3 inch 3D display.

AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G Specifications

LTE (700/AWS)

HSPA+/HSPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)

EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

Wi-Fi® 802.11 b/g/n

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) enabled

Display: 1.77 inches, 160×128 pixels color LCD

Web UI for settings and advanced features

GPS capable

Dimensions: 3.8″ L x 2.2″ W x 0.7″ D

Weight: 3.6 ounces

Battery: 1800 mAh

Expandable Memory: MicroSD™ up to 32 GB

Use time: Up to 5hours

Supported OS: Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, Windows XP, Mac® OS (v10.5 or later), Ubuntu Linux® 9.04

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G Specifications

LTE (700/AWS)

HSPA+/HSPA/UMTS (850/1900/2100 MHz)

EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

Expandable Memory:  MicroSD up to 32 GB

GPS capable

Dimensions: 2.6’ L x 1.02’ W x 0.51’ H

Weight: Approximately 1.06 ounces

OS Support:  Apple® Mac® OS (v10.5 or later), Microsoft ® Windows® 7, Vista®, XP SP3 (32 bit only)