The Biggest Benefit of LTE Nobody is Talking About….FREEDOM

March 29, 2012 in Commentary

volte
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Written By: Hashim Fannin

In the United States, an unlocked phone isn’t very beneficial due to the way the cell carriers are set up.  An unlocked phone will not function on a CDMA carrier such as Verizon or Sprint.  The only major carriers an unlocked phone will work on is T-Mobile and AT&T, and even then HSPA will likely not function, unless it’s a pentaband phone like the Galaxy Nexus.

As many people are already aware, carriers are pushing LTE as their 4g technology of choice.  Verizon already has a fairly large LTE footprint, AT&T is expanding theirs, Sprint is in the process of launching LTE as we speak, and T-Mobile is planning to begin their LTE roll out next year.  The main benefit of LTE being presented to consumers is the data speed.  However, the one thing people aren’t talking about, is the carriers will eventually be using LTE for voice calls also (VoLTE).  When this takes place across all carriers, I believe this will bring with it an element of freedom.  Though the different carriers will operate their LTE networks on different frequencies, I believe we will see phones manufactured that will work on multiple LTE frequencies.  When this happens, consumers will have the freedom of changing cell carriers without the concern of needing a new device.  Customers having more freedom will lead to more competition in the smartphone arena, which of course will lead to better plans and better pricing.  When VoLTE gets here, it has the potential to change the entire landscape of the smartphone market.

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