LTE in Ireland?

towel401

Any idea when the likes of Voda and Ohtue will bring out a LTE network? I want to get a phone that supports LTE, even if its a thing like the old Nokia 6650, as long as it has LTE and a usb (or ethernet) connector i want it. preferably the traditional shape of phone none of this touch screen or clam shell business

in other news the first commercial LTE base went online today. so there must be some transceivers around

drunkmonkey

There's no LTE in Ireland until some time in 2012 when the spectrum becomes available. It's currently being used by the Free to Air TV, bbc's etc. Once the switch over to digital TV is complete the Airwaves will be freed up for LTE.
As far as I know the current hardware (nokia) being installed by some of the networks supports LTE and will only require a software update to get it running.

warlikedave

can it not be deployed using currently available spectrums or is the technology tied down to certain spectrums?

rizzee

LTE is 4G isn't it? I'd say soon enough tbh

warlikedave

it is 4g indeed with high speed claims but that remains to be seen - the only advanced speeds in this country at the mo is HSPA+ which meteor has deployed then HSPA with the rest but HSPA and HSPA+ are patchy once the cell has too many users and then ur left with simple 3g. Either way speeds have being poor in comparison to the promised potential that was marketed a few years ago.

Hopefully once LTE comes out - then we can see some improvements: three and meteor are the only ones that have confirmed any details of their plans so far for their future LTE network upgrades.

ewj1978

big bump but..

ComReg facilitates LTE-TDD mobile broadband testing in Republic

Ireland’s telecoms regulator the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) last Friday published a press release announcing that it has achieved another milestone concerning the provision of next generation mobile broadband in the Republic. The watchdog reported on ‘positive results from tests that have been carried out in Ireland by Ericsson using a test licence issued under ComReg’s test and trial licensing programme’. The Swedish vendor has been conducting tests using Long Term Evolution, Time Division Duplex (LTE-TDD, also known as TD-LTE) technology in the 2.3GHz band to demonstrate its capability to provide high speed broadband services which can be used to support services such as high definition TV and videoconferencing, amongst others. Commenting on the pilot trials, commissioner Mike Byrne said ‘As an integral part of the services that ComReg offers to industry stakeholders, ComReg is very pleased that its test and trial licensing programme has facilitated Ericsson in conducting the first tests of the LTE-TDD next generation mobile technology in Ireland’.

Rsaeire

You'd swear ComReg were out on-site with Ericsson carrying out these LTE tests by the way they worded that press release. :rolleyes:

There's some interesting information on LTE on Wikipedia, such as what frequencies LTE will be using. It will certainly be interesting to see, with what will be the fourth generation of "broadband like speeds" since 3G, how LTE actually fairs against public consumption and whether or not it will crumble under the strain of all those users on their LTE handsets and modems. Let's just hope that the mobile networks get their act together and make the rated "up to" speed of their LTE networks more consistent, i.e. not simply stating a speed that is only obtainable if you're playing the lead role in I Am Legend.

steve 0

Bit more on it here http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/16479/comms/ericsson-trials-high-def-tv-over-mobile-broadband

pyramuid man

I would say this will be a long way out and the first network to do it will be either meteor or three. Apparently the FTA tv signal was allotted for LTE usage but as there is no sign of this becomming available anytime soon, It may be a while before it is available.

On another note, will 3 change their name to 4 when LTE is standardised?

Rsaeire

pyramuid man wrote: »

I would say this will be a long way out and the first network to do it will be either meteor or three. Apparently the FTA tv signal was allotted for LTE usage but as there is no sign of this becomming available anytime soon, It may be a while before it is available.

On another note, will 3 change their name to 4 when LTE is standardised?

As current LTE networks don't fully comply with 4G network requirements, they're actually more like 3.9G, so 3 could still get away with keeping their name if they follow the same route as current LTE networks. Knowing 3, I wouldn't be surprised if they made their LTE network non-compliant on purpose just so they didn't need to change their name! :P

pyramuid man

Yeah. Well they couldnt really call themselves 3 with 4g network.

Ten years down the line we could be calling it 6. LOL :pac:

jesus_thats_gre

rizzee wrote: »

LTE is 4G isn't it? I'd say soon enough tbh

Depending on their perspective, some will say 4G while others will say 3.75G. The yanks seem to like referring to it as 3.75G and calling their new WiMax tech 4G - surprise surprise.

paulm17781

pyramuid man wrote: »

Yeah. Well they couldnt really call themselves 3 with 4g network.

They always claimed (and I never believed) that 3 wasn't picked because of 3G. Now, this seems unlikely but they said it was to do with 3 being a lucky number or some such.

Matt Bauer

Looks like Ireland will be the last country in Europe to get LTE due to our government messing up:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/0211/1224289520986.html

koHd

Matt Bauer wrote: »

Looks like Ireland will be the last country in Europe to get LTE due to our government messing up:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/0211/1224289520986.html

Funny coincidence you posted that just as I was watching a review of the HTC Thunderbolt and getting excited about 4G LTE in Ireland.

So since we won't have any til at least 2013, I take it the Thunderbolt won't even be sold here?

bd250110

The problem with the Thunderbolt for Europeans is that it uses CDMA rather than GSM standards for 2G/3G. So would be unusable outside LTE areas.

Some american networks (ATT and T-Mobile, I think) are actually calling HSPA, which is an evolution of 3G (called 3G+ by some UK operators). There are a few ways of delivering "4G" speeds. Whether that be by LTE or HSPA+, etc.

Matt Bauer

There's little point buying a phone with LTE anywhere in the world today, Sweden being the possible exception.

LTE networks just aren't mature yet, nor do they have wide coverage.

If it's available in Ireland, the LTE ThunderBolt will still work as it can fall back to GSM/UMTS.

golfnut1

Anyone have an update on this?
Will we have a working LTE network in Ireland available to all any time soon?

cookie1977

I'd say by the end of the year is probably guaranteed but how early?? Not sure. Vodafone were rumoured to launch this Summer but it's now July and there's been no sign of it as of yet. All the networks are actively testing their 4G signal/services at present.

IrishStuff09

I'd say the Autumn after seeing this http://www.rte.ie/news/player/2013/0705/3558300-4g-services-to-begin-in-autumn/

long_b

IrishStuff09 wrote: »

I'd say the Autumn after seeing this http://www.rte.ie/news/player/2013/0705/3558300-4g-services-to-begin-in-autumn/

Text version

http://www.rte.ie/blogs/business/2013/07/05/4g-coming-soon-to-a-network-near-you/


<fx> wees in pants </fx>

Antoh

golfnut1 wrote: »

Anyone have an update on this?
Will we have a working LTE network in Ireland available to all any time soon?

LTE should be available by the end of the year with minimal speeds maybe 30-50Mb, but all GSM providers, e.g Vodafone and O2/Hutch3 will have really bad DL limits about 5 to 15Gb if your lucky with extra charges for exceeding this. Vodafone have been going at it for the past few months to get their network ready and then Hutch3 now owns O2 Ire so they are upgrading right now too.

LTE wont be fully available until mid next year but best bet for good quality LTE would be to go for a wireless provider more so than GSM as they will be able to provide a fixed wireless rather than a dongle with speeds prob at 70-100Mb and they should provide better quality as it will give a more stable and constant signal with higher limits 50+Gb. chances of unlimited usage on LTE are a long way away.......:(

warlikedave

Antoh wrote: »

LTE should be available by the end of the year with minimal speeds maybe 30-50Mb, but all GSM providers, e.g Vodafone and O2/Hutch3 will have really bad DL limits about 5 to 15Gb if your lucky with extra charges for exceeding this. Vodafone have been going at it for the past few months to get their network ready and then Hutch3 now owns O2 Ire so they are upgrading right now too.

LTE wont be fully available until mid next year but best bet for good quality LTE would be to go for a wireless provider more so than GSM as they will be able to provide a fixed wireless rather than a dongle with speeds prob at 70-100Mb and they should provide better quality as it will give a more stable and constant signal with higher limits 50+Gb. chances of unlimited usage on LTE are a long way away.......:(

To be honest the realistic speeds with congestion factored in might be around 8-15mb min but even that may be a bit on the high side - you have to remember that the total speed for LTE eg 100-140 mb or whatever it is is the mast's capacity - not a individual user. Add in the fact that like 3g - speed is not uniform throughout the cell range thus meaning that edge of cell performance is going to be much worse than closer in. Cell range can shrink with higher congestion as well.

LTE is not been deployed here yet so once we have had it for a year then we can really conclude if it has any real advantages in quality and speed on a consistent basis in comparison to 3g.

There is no quality guarantee with mobile wireless technology

Antoh

warlikedave wrote: »

To be honest the realistic speeds with congestion factored in might be around 8-15mb min but even that may be a bit on the high side - you have to remember that the total speed for LTE eg 100-140 mb or whatever it is is the mast's capacity - not a individual user. Add in the fact that like 3g - speed is not uniform throughout the cell range thus meaning that edge of cell performance is going to be much worse than closer in. Cell range can shrink with higher congestion as well.

LTE is not been deployed here yet so once we have had it for a year then we can really conclude if it has any real advantages in quality and speed on a consistent basis in comparison to 3g.

There is no quality guarantee with mobile wireless technology

that's it exactly. unless the providers flood the market with a lot of new sites. which they are rumored that they will be within the next 18months. not all of them but some then we might stand half a chance of getting a semi quality network. its not just the LTE Broadband that we need but more choices of tv providers.

apparently Eircom are planning to start providing tv once their network upgrades are complete so possibly some of the LTE providers will do the same. but to do this they will need to put about 200mb per site which isn't hard to do as there is a half decent fiber network running around the country but were looking at about 10 years before we will finally see what good broadband is like in Ireland

there is no Quality Guarantee with any broadband in this country........:(