so much for the evo, sprint is is worried about losing WiMax to LTE... dunno if this has been talked about/ posted yet... but it's important as right now the Evo is the Incredible's biggest competition
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Sprint and its partner Clearwire, which Sprint is a majority investor, are asking the 3GPP--the organization responsible for LTE standards--to evaluate a standard for TD-LTE on the 2.6 GHz spectrum. So what does all that mean? Sprint and Clearwire currently is offering a rival 4G technology to LTE called WiMax, which the two are promoting with the launch of the
HTC EVO 4G. With Clearwire asking the 3GPP to create a US standard for TD-LTE, it seems that Sprint and Clearwire may be wanting to switch to LTE like the rest of the world. However, I don't think this would be the case. I think that Sprint and Clearwire are evaluating the worst case scenario. If WiMax doesn't take off in the US, manufacturing partners for WiMax may abandon the protocol and just build LTE equipment, in which case Sprint and Clearwire may not want to be caught without a 4G network, so it makes sense for Sprint and Clearwire to begin seeking options. With the EVO 4G and the heavy promotion that Sprint is
investing in the handset, it would seem that a change to TD-LTE would be ill-timed.
Moreover, TD-LTE is another odd standard to have. Unlike FDD-LTE, utilized by the majority of the world and offers separate channels for upstream and downstream data, TD-LTE is a standard mostly employed in China and uses the same channel for uploading and downloading. FDD-LTE will offer the best network fidelity. The reason that Clearwire is asking the 3GPP for a TD-LTE standard is that the current
technology is designed for the 2.3 GHz spectrum, but Clearwire owns spectrum 2.5 and 2.6 GHz.
Although 3GPP said that they will begin to investigate the request by Clearwire, Clearwire cannot make a formal switch until November 2011 when its contract with Intel expires for
WiMax.
With Sprint on WiMax and Verizon
Wireless and AT&T adopting LTE for 4G, there shouldn't be much concern--the US has had dual-standards for years with Sprint & Verizon Wireless currently offering CDMA network technology while AT&T and T-Mobile USA are on GSM. The main concern that Clearwire probably has on the issue is whether equipment makers may shun creating equipment for a less widely used standard, WiMax, when the majority of the world is on LTE. "
) that said - " An "INCREDIBLE" Deal on our"...end of screen.
