As the whole world is getting ready to use 4G mobile broadband (those who are not using it yet at least), industry insiders warn there might be potential flaws with the oh-so awaited service.
As a quick reminder, the fourth generation would see users turn to LTE-based technology which would potentially bring speeds of 1Gbps to your smartphones or computers.
However now it is thought that too many providers are going to base their products on incompatible bands which could corrupt the service.
A fresh report coming from GSMA’s Wireless Intelligence has stated that it might be very difficult (as well as costly) to manufacture phones as well as other handsets which would have a universal LTE feature, as it has been estimated that there will be 38 various spectrum frequency combinations auctioned for the 4G rollout.
Wireless Intelligence’s Senior Analyst, Joss Gillet, stated in the report:
“Spectrum fragmentation has the potential to hinder global LTE roaming if device manufacturers are required to include support for many disparate frequencies in their devices.
“Given the backwards compatibility already required for either HSPA or EV-DO connectivity, we are unlikely to see a ‘world’ device in a handset form-factor soon.”
To taste the difference we can explore the different bands used around the world for the services, for instance USA is looking at 700MHz, Japan – 2100MHz, China – 2500MHz, while Europe is to harmonise bands from 790MHz to 862MHz into 800MHz by January 2013.
It might be worth saying that a number of countries are already using 4G services and it is highly unlikely that they would decide to opt for a spectrum change.
