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Apple and China Mobile Agree on 4G Technology for Future iPhone

Thursday May 19, 2011 1:38 am PDT by Arnold Kim

China Mobile Ltd revealed that it had reached a consensus with Apple Inc on the use of its 4G technology on iPhones to be offered by the Chinese mobile provider, according to a brief report on Marketwatch. "4G" refers to the faster next generation data technology in mobile phones. The iPhone 4 presently uses "3G" data technology to connect to the internet over cellular networks.

China Mobiles Chairman Wang Jianzhou was less forthcoming with any details surrounding the deal but did say that the company is planning to start commercial trials of the 4G technology (TD-LTE) in China beginning next year.

Wang had previously hinted that Apple had "expressed interest" in developing an iPhone capable of running on the carrier's upcoming TD-LTE network.
Time-division LTE (TD-LTE), developed by China Mobile, is a variation on the LTE standard that can offer certain benefits over traditional frequency-division LTE (FD-LTE), including lower cost of deployment and dynamic balancing of upload and download bandwidth. Reports have indicated that the same chip can be used to allow devices to access both traditional LTE and TD-LTE networks.
Though details are sparse, this claims in this report would fit into the rumored timeframe of a true 4G iPhone in 2012. Meanwhile, all present rumors seem to suggest that Apple will be launching the next new iPhone around September of 2011 but without 4G data technology.

Update: Bloomberg offers some additional details from Wang, though this report does not specifically say that Apple and China Mobile had come to an agreement.
The company may also be able to offer Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone with the shift to TD-LTE, Wang said. While Apple has decided not to make a version of the phone for the third-generation TD-SCDMA system that is used only by China Mobile, the Cupertino, California-based company may produce one for the TD-LTE system, he said.


[ 21 comments ]


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keitak
109 months ago

time-division lte (td-lte), developed by china mobile, is a variation on the lte standard that can offer certain benefits over traditional frequency-division lte (fd-lte), including easy interception by the party and easy blocking of every phone in the world unless the party allows them, not to mention the great advantage of the fragmentation of 4g standards. Reports have indicated that the same chip can be used to allow devices to access both traditional lte and td-lte networks.


Of course, with no source attached.
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
haruhiko
109 months ago

time-division lte (td-lte), developed by china mobile, is a variation on the lte standard that can offer certain benefits over traditional frequency-division lte (fd-lte), including easy interception by the party and easy blocking of every phone in the world unless the party allows them, not to mention the great advantage of the fragmentation of 4g standards. Reports have indicated that the same chip can be used to allow devices to access both traditional lte and td-lte networks.

:d
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
Popeye206
109 months ago

who cares about battery life any more really, i have to charge my iPhone every damn night anyway


:) I care. It's nice that the phone can go all day without having to worry about battery life or having extra batteries around. If having 4G meant usable battery time was cut 30-50%, that would be a killer for me. More is better and I'm glad Apple take battery life so seriously. It's one of the best features.

As always, Apple seems not to jump on some band wagons so quickly until things settle down. Yet, take Thunderbolt.... jumped on that first. Funny how they gamble in some ways and hold on others. But I think holding on 4G is a smart move. Looks like the iPhone 5 will be a universal phone. One model for all networks... GSM or CMDA... 3G; LTE or TD-LTE... smart. Very smart.
Rating: 1 Votes
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MacQuest
109 months ago
iPhone 5 4G TD-LTE/LTE in '12.

Whew...

Got it.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Thunderhawks
109 months ago

So basically Apple said communism sure not our problem that more of a Google thing. :rolleyes:

I am still not convinced on 4G I like the idea of more speed but battery life seems to really suffer on a lot of the android phones with 4G. Its the future but what does it say about new battery technology.:(


Even communists need money. They know full well that communism eventually doesn't work.

So, they are pretty open ........... to money.

Don't see why Apple should get into politics and yes, it's not their problem:-)
Rating: 1 Votes
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Thunderhawks
109 months ago

Well then you need to look for another phone because the iPhone isn't the answer. I travel to work 1 hour (and I use the car charger all the way there), work 8 hours, and travel home 1 hour.

I can't tell you how many times (if I forget the wall charger) my iPhone has died before I leave the office and get into my car...


Everybody's battery usage will differ and while it is nice that Apple watches it and tries to give you as much as possible, I find ALL battery driven devices have the same problems.

I also have charging cables everywhere and leave it always hooked up whenever possible.

In real business use it goes down fast IMO. If you leave it on standby for just calls and e-mail notification it lasts pretty long. Can't be bothered with always switching the settings to save power. Should happen automatically.

My pet peeve is still that all the cables break too fast at the plug entrance even when one is careful. I buy replacement cables 12 at a time.
Wish Apple would rethink that connector!
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
kiljoy616
109 months ago
So basically Apple said communism sure not our problem that more of a Google thing. :rolleyes:

I am still not convinced on 4G I like the idea of more speed but battery life seems to really suffer on a lot of the android phones with 4G. Its the future but what does it say about new battery technology.:(
Rating: 0 Votes
Avatar
Digital Skunk
109 months ago

who cares about battery life any more really, i have to charge my iPhone every damn night anyway


Thank you for being sensible enough to say this. There's not a smartphone with a 3.5" screen or larger that can last three straight days on 1 charge with average smartphone use. Not just making calls and such, but web surfing, GPS, pulling/pushing email, syncing, etc.

The plethora of 4G phones are the market are getting the same battery life that I've seen with the iPhone 3GS and 4. Adding newer tech that all cell companies are adopting won't hinder the battery problem.

Besides, we all have chargers strewn about the place at work, home, relatives, etc. anyway.

If the largest CDMA market in the world goes to LTE I hope that Sprint starts putting up their dual LTE/WiMAX towers (http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=sprint+to+put+lte&cp=17&qe=c3ByaW50IHRvIHB1dCBsdGU&qesig=FfkDBoVYc2DlMJr3MBVQ3g&pkc=AFgZ2tkqgLO_7ZN6Bi5JlJTQxLD12cW-fegti1dYdXbr_4e9r6R-xnZeCEGzrYThKwtcBLEMik7QwC48pNy1usXkqmTglgdkDw&pf=p&sclient=psy&source=hp&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=sprint+to+put+lte&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=cc25713483b3681) or Verizon buys them out right.
Rating: 0 Votes
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bushido
109 months ago

So basically Apple said communism sure not our problem that more of a Google thing. :rolleyes:

I am still not convinced on 4G I like the idea of more speed but battery life seems to really suffer on a lot of the android phones with 4G. Its the future but what does it say about new battery technology.:(


who cares about battery life any more really, i have to charge my iPhone every damn night anyway
Rating: 0 Votes
Avatar
kdarling
109 months ago

:) I care. It's nice that the phone can go all day without having to worry about battery life or having extra batteries around. If having 4G meant usable battery time was cut 30-50%, that would be a killer for me. More is better and I'm glad Apple take battery life so seriously. It's one of the best features.


There's rarely a good reason to leave out such a feature, as long as it can be turned on/off. When you don't need 4G, turn it off. But man, when you do need it, it's handy as heck.

It's no different than the Bluetooth or WiFi or 3G radios. Should Apple leave those out as well, in order to protect the owners from using battery?

Btw, Apple didn't leave out 3G in the first model to save battery. They left it out to save money, both for themselves in build costs, and for the user in data plan pricing. They just like to trot out the battery boogieman whenever they don't have a feature, like 3G or multitasking or widgets.
Rating: -1 Votes

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