Sixteen technology giants rally behind LTE
LTE, or “The Long Term Evolution of 3G” is a technology that transmits data over cellular networks, and competes with Wi-Fi and WiMax for the future of wireless data transfer. LTE, however, has been given a big boost today, as 16 huge technology companies have all agreed to embed the technology in future devices.
Asus, Dell, ECS, Ericsson, Gemalto, Lenovo, Microsoft, Orange, Qualcomm, Telefonica Europe, Telecom Italia, TeliaSonera, T-Mobile, Toshiba and Vodafone have all promised to participate in the first wave of product releases, involving mostly notebooks. It means that they’ll all pre-install “always-connected” capability in new devices, providing a “compelling alternative to Wi-Fi”.
A second wave of releases will follow at a later, but unspecified, date, and will encompass fridges, televisions, cars, cameras, penguins and other random things. One of the people developing LTE said: “While there will always be a place for Wi-Fi connectivity, the great merit of mobile broadband might be that it liberates the user from the spatial tyranny of the so-called ‘hotspot’.”
Harsh words. We’ll see LTE roll out over the next couple of years, but whether it’s a credible alternative to WiMax depends on the availability of those tyrannical hotspots, as well as LTE coverage across major cities. Is this the next Blu-ray vs HD-DVD? Perhaps…
LTE (via ZDnet)
Related posts: CES 2008: OQO shows off WiMAX-enabled Model O2 UMPC | HTC intros Touch 3G and Touch Viva handsets
