Is Solavei Getting LTE?

If there is one question that I constantly get asked about Solavei service right now, it's if there is LTE support on the Solavei network. To make a long story short, no, the Solavei network is not based on LTE technology, it is based on HSPA+42 technology in most places. That said, let's take a look at a few reasons why LTE isn't the right move for Solavei at this time and why it's probably not the right move for you either.

LTE is short for Long Term Evolution. LTE data flows through the pipeline at a theoretical speed of up to 100Mbps. While the current version of LTE on the market is remarkably fast, the actual through put coming to your device in a clean signal area is about 15-20Mbps. Uploading on an LTE network is also very quick, usually in the 10Mbps range. Currently only Verizon Wireless offers a full nationwide LTE network, though coverage in many markets is still limited. AT&T also has most major markets covered with their LTE network as well. The rollout of LTE will lead to the future development of LTEA or Long Term Evolution Advanced networks in the future. The speeds on this pipeline should increase to possibly 300Mbps in the future. This will allow more users on the same channels to have faster speeds.

HSPA+ technology is very similar to LTE in that it is scalable. What began as a simple data network with HSPA 7.2, has grown into a nationwide HSPA+42 powerhouse. HSPA 7.2 allowed for theoretical data transfers of up to 7.2Mbps (3G) but enhancements to the equipment running the networks have doubled (HSPA 14.4), then doubled again (HSPA+21) and finally sped up to HSPA+42. The HSPA+42 network allows for speeds up to 20Mbps down and around 5Mbps up. There are even areas that have been rumored to be updated to the latest HSPA+84 technology, which is faster in real world speeds than the LTE connections being offered by US carriers today. HSPA+42 isn't considered a true "4G" technology, but the real world speeds have deemed it a full successor to "3G" technology in the US.

Now that you understand a bit more about the speeds that you get with LTE and HSPA+, it's time to look at why your HSPA+ device might be slower than those speeds posted above. Of course, if you are in a poor coverage area, your speeds will never hit the maximums, but if you are in a good area, check out the specs on your device to see how fast you can go. I'll use the Nokia Lumia line for this example since that is what I am carrying with me on a day to day basis. Then we can take a look at those iPhones as well.

The Nokia Lumia 810 features a full HSPA+42 radio, so it gets the maximum data speeds that the network will allow. This device sold for about $479 on T-Mobile. The replacement for the 810, the Lumia 521, only has an HSPA+21 radio, or about half the data capabilities of the 810. Of course, this sacrifice includes a $350 price drop on the device. You can snag one at Wal-Mart for $129. If you go back to the Lumia 710, it featured a HSPA+14.4 radio, which is about 1/3 as fast as my new 810. I went from 4-6 Mbps to 12-15Mbps going from the 710 to the 810. The 521 sits right in the middle of those at about 7-8Mpbs on the HSPA+21 speeds.

On to the iPhones, many of you are using iPhone 3Gs devices. The 3Gs features an HSPA 7.2 radio. This means on the fastest areas of the Solavei network, you will get around 2-3Mbps downloads and about 1Mbps upload. The iPhone 4, though data is vague at best, appears to still feature the HSPA 7.2 radio as well. This means on that particular device, you will still see speeds of 2-3Mbps, though they might 'seem' faster due to the quicker processor in the iPhone 4. Moving on to the 4s, the word on the street was Apple labeled this device as an HSPA+ device even though it only ran at HSPA 14.4 speeds. Finally, we get to the iPhone 5 and it's LTE radios. The iPhone 5 is a true warrior depending on the version of the device you landed, but taking the T-Mobile version, it nets you the HSPA+42 radio, the LTE radio and even the standard world phone 3G radios as well. This makes the iPhone 5 from T-Mobile the best choice for flexibility across all the world. With the iPhone 5 from AT&T (unlocked) or T-Mobile, you will get to take full advantage of the Solavei network speeds.

All of that said, is Solavei getting LTE? Probably not in the near future, but does one really need those LTE speeds with that high speed HSPA+42 network? Honestly, if you have a proper device now, you won't see much speed increase going from HSPA+42 to LTE. If you are running an ancient HSPA 7.2 device, you might want to look at some lower cost HSPA+42 phones (or even something like the Lumia 521 and it's HSPA+21 speeds) for a big performance boost before you start asking about LTE. The performance you receive will really change your mind about 'needing' LTE.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
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