TeliaSonera has announced the launch of the world’s first 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network in Sweden and Norway, using Samsung’s commercial 4G LTE dongles.
4G offers speeds of up to 100Mbps, ten times faster than current 3G services from TeliaSonera.
“We are very excited to be part of the world’s first LTE commercial service from TeliaSonera. It is a truly historic step forward in the mobile industry,” added JK Shin, executive vice president and head of the Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “As an industry leader and innovator, Samsung will continue to offer the most advanced mobile technology to satisfy consumers’ unmet needs.”
“We are very proud to be the first operator in the world to offer our customers 4G services. Thanks to the successful cooperation with Samsung we can offer 4G to our customers in Sweden and Norway earlier than originally planned,” notes Kenneth Karlberg, President and Head of Mobility Services, TeliaSonera.
The dongle can be connected to any portable device (notebook, netbook, tablet) via USB and should have backwards compatibility with 3G, HSPA, and EDGE services.
There are currently no phones that can handle the 4G but 2010 should see a change to that.
Result for: mobile industry
Nokia has sued Apple this week over the popular iPhone smartphone, claiming Apple infringes on Nokia patents.
There are 10 patents up for dispute, each of which relate to technologies “fundamental to making devices compatible with one or more mobile standards.”
Nokia went as far as to say that they had invested about $60 billion USD in to research and development and that Apple did little to compensate them for the patents.
The patents range from wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption on all iPhone models from the iPhone 1G to the iPhone 3GS.
“The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for,” said Ilkka Rahnasto, vice president for legal & intellectual property at Nokia, via the WSJ. “Apple is also expected to follow this principle.”
Nokia has license agreements with over 40 companies allowing them to use the mobile technology.
It is unclear how much Nokia is seeking in damages but many expect the figures to reach the billions.
Result for: mobile industry
According to a Washington Post report, Nokia is preparing to launch an “App Store” at the upcoming Mobile World Congress
Eldar Murtazin, editor of Mobile-review.com, broke the story but the blog is in Russian so here is the translation of what was said:
“At first glance, for now, the app portal looks so so, there is some confusion. But they are trying, polishing it and a lot has changed for the better in a matter of days. A right step in a right direction? And the distribution and revenue sharing model between app makers and Nokia looks very attractive.”
Muzartin is known for having insider connections in the mobile industry but for now the rumor remains a rumor but we will keep you updated.
