LTE, the next evolution of cellular technology has everybody excited. Unfortunately, the emerging next generation technology is already getting fragmented this early according to Wireless Intelligence, which means that future LTE devices will only work on the carrier it was designed for. Wireless Intelligence estimates that there will be 200 LTE networks by 2015, with 38 different frequencies. Even if carriers use the same spectrum, it doesn’t necessarily mean that their devices will be compatible – AT&T and Verizon will both use the 700 spectrum, but AT&T will be using the 704-746MHz range while Verizon will opt for the 746-787MHz. It’s not clear if this will also be the case locally when both telcos roll out their LTE service, but currently all signs point to this trend.
Source: GigaOm, Wireless Intelligence