Vodafone's 'Long Term' Hesitance

As the wireless industry presses ahead with plans for a next-generation wireless technology, one key player keeps dragging its heels. Indeed, on April 14, several dominant wireless companies agreed to a licensing framework for patents addressing the emerging technology, known as Long Term Evolution [LTE]. The companies, including handset maker Nokia (NOK) and network equipment maker Ericsson (ERICB), join major wireless operators including Verizon Wireless and China Mobile as supporters for LTE, a technology widely seen as an on-ramp to truly speedy mobile Internet connections. If it lives up to its billing, LTE would make today’s cable and DSL modems — as well as the “3G,” or third-generation, mobile networks wireless carriers have spent billions to deploy — seem downright snail-like.

6am Comments (View)