World’s First 4G Network Debuts
By Chris Weiss
You finally got that sweet, new 3G smartphone as an early Christmas gift and already you’re behind the times.
The world’s first 4G/LTE network went live today in Stockholm and Oslo, launched by TeliaSonera. Ericcson is supplying the network in Stockholm and Huawei covers Oslo. TeliaSonera claims speeds up to 10 times faster than those available on 3G.
“We are very proud to be the first operator in the world to offer our customers 4G services. The use of mobile broadband in the Nordic countries is exploding and customers need higher speeds and capacity. This is why we launch 4G services in both Stockholm and Oslo,” says Kenneth Karlberg, President and Head of Mobility Services.
Officially, TeliaSonera is planning on launching the 4G network in 25 Sweden and Norway cities next year.
Back over here across the ocean, where dotty 3G maps still dominate, things aren’t quite so sunny. No 4G coming this year to catch us up with our Scandinavian comrades, and next year we might see 4G from Verizon.
Don’t feel too bad, tough; no handsets will yet support 4G and users will be limited to laptop and dongle until some arrive next year. [BBC and TeliaSonera via TechCrunch]
