AT&T wants Apple to add '4G' indicator to iPhone 4S status bar
Because the iPhone 4S is capable of 4G-like speeds on HSDPA networks, AT&T hopes to convince Apple to add a "4G" indicator to the handset's status bar.
The push, revealed in an internal memo leaked to The Verge, would allow AT&T to further differentiate itself from competitors Verizon and Sprint, which run CDMA networks and do not offer HSDPA connectivity. However, HSDPA also does not fall under the definition of "true" 4G.
The language of the memo seems to suggest that Apple is open to the idea, and even goes as far as to say that the change will arrive in the form of an update to iOS for AT&T iPhones.
"AT&T is working with Apple to update the network indicator for AT&T's iPhone 4S to read "4G," the memo reads. "This will happen with an iOS release from Apple. Since iPhone 4S is an HSDPA device, our customers will get 4G speeds from day one. Only AT&T has this unique network advantage."
A redesigned antenna that allows for faster HSDPA connections is one of the major features of the new iPhone 4S unveiled this week. However, at the company's keynote presentation, Apple executives did not outright declare that the iPhone 4S is a 4G phone.
While Apple has not yet gone as far as to call the iPhone 4S a "4G phone," U.S. carriers AT&T and T-Mobile have advertised their own HSPA+ networks as having "4G" speeds, even though they aren't true fourth-generation technology. AT&T is currently rolling out a true LTE 4G network in the U.S., and the carrier's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile would give it more spectrum to expand its coverage.
Apple executives this week went as far as to say that the iPhone 4S offers data speeds that are competitive with existing 4G networks.
AT&T's official coverage map shows HSPA+ "4G" available in a number of major metropolitan areas across the U.S., though the vast majority of the country receives either traditional 3G "mobile broadband," or even slower EDGE speeds. AT&T's 4G LTE network is available in a total of five cities.
The push, revealed in an internal memo leaked to The Verge, would allow AT&T to further differentiate itself from competitors Verizon and Sprint, which run CDMA networks and do not offer HSDPA connectivity. However, HSDPA also does not fall under the definition of "true" 4G.
The language of the memo seems to suggest that Apple is open to the idea, and even goes as far as to say that the change will arrive in the form of an update to iOS for AT&T iPhones.
"AT&T is working with Apple to update the network indicator for AT&T's iPhone 4S to read "4G," the memo reads. "This will happen with an iOS release from Apple. Since iPhone 4S is an HSDPA device, our customers will get 4G speeds from day one. Only AT&T has this unique network advantage."
A redesigned antenna that allows for faster HSDPA connections is one of the major features of the new iPhone 4S unveiled this week. However, at the company's keynote presentation, Apple executives did not outright declare that the iPhone 4S is a 4G phone.
While Apple has not yet gone as far as to call the iPhone 4S a "4G phone," U.S. carriers AT&T and T-Mobile have advertised their own HSPA+ networks as having "4G" speeds, even though they aren't true fourth-generation technology. AT&T is currently rolling out a true LTE 4G network in the U.S., and the carrier's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile would give it more spectrum to expand its coverage.
Apple executives this week went as far as to say that the iPhone 4S offers data speeds that are competitive with existing 4G networks.
AT&T's official coverage map shows HSPA+ "4G" available in a number of major metropolitan areas across the U.S., though the vast majority of the country receives either traditional 3G "mobile broadband," or even slower EDGE speeds. AT&T's 4G LTE network is available in a total of five cities.
Comments
Like fun.
No, it has both, HSDPA and HSUPA, but not HSPA+. HSPA+ starts at Release 7 / Cat 13. iPhone 4S is a Release 5 / Cat 10 device.
iPhone has been HSDPA since iPhone 3G. Specifically:
iPhone 3G: HSDPA Release 5 / Cat 6 (3.6 Mbps)
iPhone 3GS: HSDPA Release 5 / Cat 8 (7.2 Mbps)
iPhone 4: HSDPA Release 5 / Cat 8 (7.2 Mbps)
iPhone 4S: HSDPA Release 5 / Cat 10 (14 Mbps)
For HSPA+ (4G) you need to have either 64-QAM or MIMO or Dual-Cell or a combination of those. iPhone 4S has neither. It's just a faster version of HSDPA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hsdpa#U....29_categories
http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...1#post14567941
Maybe that's why Apple was very careful not to call it 4G, because it isn't even with the liberal definition of HSPA+ being 4G. If this is the case, I would be surprised to see Apple concede to AT&T on this.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/ITU-s...lly-4G_id15435
The ITU announced in December 2010 that WiMax, LTE, and HSPA+ are 4G technologies.
And 720P by some is considered HD. Not buying this rationale.
Maybe it should just show the network speed instead.
Ooh, a good idea. I like it.
The ITU announced in December 2010 that WiMax, LTE, and HSPA+ are 4G technologies.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/ITU-s...lly-4G_id15435
yes, but is the HSDPA used by the iP4S considered to be HSPA+/4G by ITU?
And 720P by some is considered HD. Not buying this rationale.
Well, I agree that 1080P is better than 720P. But I would also say that HSPA+ is a "generation" ahead of CDMA.
Under the old definition, only WiMax2 and LTE-Advanced were qualified to be called 4G networks. If that were still true, no carrier in the world would be 4G.
In the end most customers don't really understand the difference, they just want the most "G"s. This is why Verizon and AT&T are pushing LTE as LTE vs 4G since it is SOOO much faster.
Maybe it should just show the network speed instead.
They'd spin it just like the algorithm for number of bars, but I like the idea!!
In actuality, what speeds can consumers see on ATT? Please don't start quoting websites about what they claim their speeds to be. I'm interested in real world data speeds on the iphone 4s. I could care less what technology it's running on.
I have an iphone 4 now on ATT and I'm getting realistic speeds of 3-5mbps downloads on average in the areas I frequently visit. On wifi, I'm reaching 13mbps. The question is whether the iphone 4s can surpass those speeds. Whether they wanna call it 4g or not, if it can reach 10mbps on ATT, I'd be more than satisfied.
Link to Google Doc spreadsheet of iOS hardware devices
Why does it matter if we call it 4G or not? Does calling it 4G make it any faster? No, the very existence of terms like 3G and 4G fills me with dismay. Just tell us how fast the thing is and leave it at that. These Fischer Price tags really get my goat. If it gets 14.4 Mbps then great, but you know there'll be idiots out there who still buy the Android phone next to it because it's '4G'. I don't get 14.4Mbps on my home broadband, so I'm skeptical I'll see it on my mobile phone any time soon!
The whole thing is there purely for marketing purposes and people get drawn into technical debates about that these terms mean, as if they mean anything at all!
In 2030 we'll have 9G phones, which of course means...whatever these companies decide it means at the time! There's a reason we have imperial units for measuring things.