ITU puts LTE-Advanced, WiMAX 2 under IMT-Advanced standard
updated 03:30 pm EST, Fri January 20, 2012
ITU units 1Gbps standards under one banner
The International Telecommunication Union this week gave a label to a whole class of future 4G standards. Both LTE-Advanced and WiMAX 2 (WirelessMAN-Advanced) will be classed as IMT-Advanced. While the actual speeds of the standards vary, the ITU is promising "at least 100 times faster" performance than 3G and to get the higher speeds using less wireless bandwidth.
"[IMT-Advanced] will make the present day smart phone feel like an old dial up Internet connection," Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said.
LTE-Advanced theoretically reaches as much as 1Gbps in peak conditions and is still expected to get 100Mbps in the real world. WiMAX 2 doesn't necesarily peak at the same maximum speeds, but it too has been shown getting 100Mbps-plus in the field.
Rollout times for either part of IMT-Advanced will vary, although LTE-Advanced is expected to go first. The turnaround will be much faster than for original LTE and could see both AT&T and Sprint both using LTE-Advanced in 2013. Verizon is also likely to participate. [via Phone Scoop]
