LTE Explained

Published by Jason Harris on January 20, 2012

Lumia 900

LAS VEGAS, NV, United States – Marketing terms get thrown around left and right, especially at events like the Consumer Electronics Show. So, how do we make sure that marketing terms such as 4G and LTE apply to us?

For starters, let’s check in to see what LTE really means. LTE is short for Long Term Evolution or more officially 3GPP Long Term Evolution for the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System.

But, for the sake of conversation, let’s call it LTE.

LTE is the next generation of mobile technology being deployed worldwide. So far, here in the United States, AT&T and Verizon Wireless are the LTE carriers of choice thus far.

The recently announced Nokia Lumia 900 will support the AT&T LTE network, and is among the first Windows Phone devices to do so.

Theoretically, LTE is capable of delivering super fast data speeds. For the data geeks, LTE is capable of speeds up to ten times faster than traditional 3G networks.

The most notable idea behind LTE is how it reduces latency, or the ping times up to the cloud. This means any web-linked apps will start and respond faster.

Apps, Apps, Apps

LTE and 4G technologies represent an amazing step forward for mobile networks and for mobile applications. It’s equivalent to when you ditched your dial-up modem for broadband at home.

For example, with reduced latency, mobile video applications will be absolutely amazing on an LTE network. Tango is the video calling app for Windows Phone, supporting video conferencing on the mobile. With the front-facing, wide-profile camera and whopping 4.3″ screen, Tango on the Nokia Lumia 900 looks amazing.

Also, imagine your YouTube video and sports content via an LTE network. You’ll be able to stream video without even thinking about it.

Battery life matters

One major factor with any LTE-based phone is battery life. Fortunately, Nokia bore this in mind when they created the Lumia 900, giving it an extra-large 1830 mAh battery. With this device, you can message, video call and make regular calls without worrying too much about how much juice you’ve got left.

Are you keen to get your hands on LTE? Tell us why in this week’s poll?

Comments

  • Anonymous

    ”
    extra-large 1830 mAh battery” – won’t help so much. Bigger screen will consume the difference of “extra-large” capacity. Microsoft have to fix software/OS related problems first and not just to enlarge battery. I have Lumia 800 and battery lasts less than 24 hours in 3g network + wifi enabled. If L900 has the same firmware base, it will last even less with 4g network.

  • Anonymous

    If battery is important, you’d better buy Nokia Belle based phone. Or even Nokia Asha.

  • Anonymous

    If battery is important, you’d better buy Nokia Belle based phone. Or even Nokia Asha.

  • dividebyzero

    One thing I am curious about is how much do faster communications technologies really consume more energy. Because of course it may require more power, but at the same time it should take less time to tarnsfer anything. So what s the difference in the “joules per bit” ratio from 3G to wi-fi to LTE?…

  • Anonymous

    I am hoping LTE ramps up quickly, so that more people get off of 3G GSM so I won’t be competing with so many others. It will be a while before LTE is widespread enough in some cities to make a significant difference. As expensive at Cellular data plans are getting, most people won’t be able to afford to do much with LTE for any significant length of time, so to me LTE is not a must have. I also believe I am in correct in saying that Verizon LTE is STILL not compatible with AT&T LTE (even though they are both LTE) so you still cannot buy a phone (and least not most phone, there may be some vendor that has a dual CDMA/GSM transcevier chipset) that will work on Verizon or AT&T. Correct?

  • Los Straslos

    Lot of people care about battery life, Belle is not a subject here. Nokia engineers have to focus on improving software and not only enlarge battery capacity and phone size. Microsoft software is historically power consuming and a mistake for Nokia phones in general.

  • Anonymous

    Lumia Software is made by Microsoft

  • Anonymous

    Lumia Software is made by Microsoft

  • Anonymous

    Lumia Software is made by Microsoft