AT&T to showcase 'what's next in wireless' on July 16

[Shawn Knight]

AT&T recently sent e-mails to members of the tech press informing them of a big announcement coming July 16. We’re hearing that the company isn’t planning a big event in a city like you’d see with a smartphone launch, which likely means AT&T will simply issue a press release on that day.

The tagline on the e-mail reads “what’s next in wireless” which further solidifies the belief that we won’t see a new handset. Instead, many in the industry believe AT&T plans to reveal details about its upcoming LTE-Advanced network.

If that is indeed the topic of next week’s announcement, it could be a significant boon for AT&T as telecoms in the US (AT&T included) are still in the process of rolling out regular LTE. AT&T could get a huge head start on the competition but truth be told, LTE-Advanced is still at least a year away.

The world’s first LTE-Advanced network launched just last month in Seoul, South Korea. During a public demonstration of the technology, a special version of the Galaxy S4 that’s compatible with the new network was able to hit download speeds of 102Mbps. That’s roughly 10 times faster than the average broadband connection the US.

If LTE-Advanced isn’t in the cards yet, AT&T may alternately use the opportunity to announce plans for Voice over LTE (VoLTE). Verizon recently announced plans to roll out the capability on their network nationwide next year so this is certainly a possibility.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/53181-att-to-showcase-whats-next-in-wireless-on-july-16.html

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

102Mpbs, so finally speeds that meet the requirement for being called '4G'. That's great, but personally I'm more concerned with coverage than maximum speed. 10Mpbs serves me fine for my usage, and I'd prefer to have that 10Mpbs in more places than be able to get 100Mpbs in one place.

I suppose AT&T needs to separate themselves from the competition though. If you want coverage and don't care about price you go with Verizon. If you want a good price and don't care about coverage you go with T-mobile. AT&T is priced like Verizon, without as much coverage. They used to have the iphone exclusivity, but that's gone now, and many of those who signed up with AT&T for the iPhone may have left. Maybe LTE Advanced will give them a boost.
If you don't care about coverage or price and your favorite color is yellow, then go with Sprint.

 

[veLa]

While I love the LTE/LTE Advance speeds I don't care as much about them as long I'm on a data plan. I have the Galaxy S4, so it's like having a Mercedes SLK AMG and only having enough gas to take it to the grocery store and back a couple times a month.

As for Voice over LTE, screw that. It wastes so much battery life, the voice quality over HSPA and EDGE is good enough.