[GRLUG] FAIL!!! Xfinity mobile wireless

[Adam Tauno Williams]

On Fri, 2011-09-02 at 07:42 -0500, L. V. Lammert wrote:
> On Fri, 2 Sep 2011, Adam Tauno Williams wrote:
> > Confused.  4G != WiMax; are these dual mode LTE / WiMax devices /
> > towers / carriers?
> Depends on the carrier - 4G = WiMax for Spring.

Sort of, but not really.  

In this use 4G is some kind of umbrella term; when talking to telcom
people 4G = LTE.  In cases like Strint 4G really doesn't necessarily
refer to WiMax either but to provider specific technology that was
rushed to deployment before the final standard(s) were ratified.  They
want to push these under the 4G "umbrella" just so they can say they
were 'the first' [to get somewhere that isn't really there; nothing
"first" about a vendor doing that].

WiMax is a specific technology.  

WiMax is not LTE.

The "4G LTE" itself can be deployed in a couple of flavors and different
frequencies.

Most 'level-2' telcom people do not use "4G" and "WiMax"
inter-changeably.  The front-desk clerks and marketroids do.

These sloshing together of terms make explaining things to the poor
end-user much harder than it needs to be.  Usually in response to a
frustrated "This new phone|device sucks!".  Because they have been led
to believe everyone is talking about the same thing.





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