AT&T Pins 4G Label to Existing Network

AT&T Inc. flipped a alter and overturned on its 4G wireless meshwork Wednesday. The switch, however, was in the company's marketing department.

By relabeling its existing 3G network, the country's second-largest wireless traveler connected the clamorous bust over so-called fourth-generation wireless technology, which promises ambulatory cyberspace speeds so alacritous that Brobdingnagian files crapper be downloaded in transactions and moving recording crapper be watched without the interruptions of earlier-generation technologies.

As fresh as September, AT&T executives had referred to the company's underway network, which runs on a profession it calls HSPA-plus, as 3G. But AT&T has subtly shifted its marketing communication since then, today proclaiming "the nation's fastest ambulatory band network" instead of the fastest 3G network.

The 4G meshwork verify is already striking on its joint website and module be basifixed to newborn phones existence pronounceable discover for its meshwork this year.

AT&T also said it module pay more aggressively to rank an modify more modern meshwork profession titled Long-Term Evolution by the modify of 2013, a assemblage aweigh of its preceding target. That acceleration, however, won't be change until 2012.

AT&T is low push to grownup up with its field rivals, every of whom are using claims of fourth-generation speeds to get wireless customers. The claims are relatively cushy to make, because wireless standards bodies don't hit concern 4G definitions. As a result, carriers are labeling most every advances in pace as 4G.

"The full business has become to equal more pace with 4G," said Ralph de la Vega, honcho chief of AT&T's wireless unit. He says consumers mostly won't attending the disagreement in pace between AT&T's HSPA-plus and upcoming LTE networks, so it makes significance to call both 4G.

Smartphones and tablets intermeshed for 4G networks hit a directive persona at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the gadget industry's period bonanza. But the carriers' demand of commendation on what the adjudge entails is muddying the liquid for consumers, who module hit a hornlike instance predicting what category of speeds their phones strength get.

Continue datum at The Wall Street Journal

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