[portal]

It came to my attentions that LTE enabled apple phones are not really global. They are restricted to frequencies in certain countries and will default to 3G if an incompatible LTE frequency is found. See the link below.

Can we expect that BB10 will have a similar differentiation for different regions? Or will one BB10 rule over all the LTE frequencies and be a global roaming capable device?

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/09...y-it-from-att/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks

[kbz1960]

Haven't they been saying that depending on where in the world you are which model will be available there?

[snaqvi91]

If it was global LTE that would be appropriate because after all BlackBerry is all about being "hyper connected". Also a lot of business users use BlackBerrys so maybe global LTE might be beneficial.

[derpOverflow]

There are 3 different models of the Z10.

[portal]

So with three different models, one would hope that one of them will be a global LTE roaming capable. that would make sense...

[jdgarrido]

So with three different models, one would hope that one of them will be a global LTE roaming capable. that would make sense...

I can be wrong, but I think that won't be the case, I think that its a limitation due to the wide range of frequencies.

[derpOverflow]

I can be wrong, but I think that won't be the case, I think that its a limitation due to the wide range of frequencies.

Yeah I think its because they have the same limitations as everybody else.

[BBNation]

It came to my attentions that LTE enabled apple phones are not really global. They are restricted to frequencies in certain countries and will default to 3G if an incompatible LTE frequency is found. See the link below.

Can we expect that BB10 will have a similar differentiation for different regions? Or will one BB10 rule over all the LTE frequencies and be a global roaming capable device?

Want global LTE roaming on iPhone 5? Don

List of LTE networks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I belive that is why RIM bought paratac or something so they can offer one phone globally. I think Z10 will work on pretty much every single network out there..no worries

[Skeevecr]

Realistically, we know that there will be support for some non-NA LTE bands so they have either gone for the same half-arsed approach as apple where some lte networks will not be supported or with a bit of luck they will have gone for a more sensible option of there being at least two GSM/LTE variants so that your phone bought in Germany will work on all their LTE networks and not just one, but we will not see truly global roaming on LTE for the simple reasons that there are not LTE roaming agreements in place and that there is just too wide a spread of frequencies being used globally with 2600Mhz being about the closest realistic option for a global frequency in the future if it could be freed up in those countries where it is not available.

As far as paratek, they are not some kind of magic wand that will allow rim to cram in more antennas into one phone.

[kevinnugent]

I belive that is why RIM bought paratac or something so they can offer one phone globally. I think Z10 will work on pretty much every single network out there..no worries

The Z10 approved by the FCC didn't include the LTE band for Australia, so I'm assuming there will be more than one variant.

[EGerhardt]

There definitely will be more than one variant. No single phone that I know of can support all of the worlds 4G signals at the moment. There's something like 6 or 7 LTE bands in use around the world, so it's just not practical to support them all at once. Now, certain LTE phones may be compatible with other networks because there is some overlap; 800mhz is in use in the US and Europe, 1800mhz and 2600mhz in Asia and Australia, but you certainly shouldn't expect to go abroad and use 4G there.

Aside from anything else, there isn't yet an 'all bands' 3g, and thats a much more mature technology.

[Skeevecr]

The Z10 approved by the FCC didn't include the LTE band for Australia, so I'm assuming there will be more than one variant.

The GCF website is likely to be a better place to spot a variant intended for outside of NA as that is certification that gsm handsets have to go through.

[kg4icg]

There definitely will be more than one variant. No single phone that I know of can support all of the worlds 4G signals at the moment. There's something like 6 or 7 LTE bands in use around the world, so it's just not practical to support them all at once. Now, certain LTE phones may be compatible with other networks because there is some overlap; 800mhz is in use in the US and Europe, 1800mhz and 2600mhz in Asia and Australia, but you certainly shouldn't expect to go abroad and use 4G there.

Aside from anything else, there isn't yet an 'all bands' 3g, and thats a much more mature technology.

Gonna have to correct you, VZW and AT&T are using 700 mhz for LTE, Sprint is using 1900 FOR LTE and will be using 2500/2600 for LTE Advanced when it is ready along with having roaming agreements already in place with Asia. TMobile is setting themselves to have LTE in there AWS band after they get 1900 squared away for hspa+.

[samab]

As far as paratek, they are not some kind of magic wand that will allow rim to cram in more antennas into one phone.

Also EVEN IF paratek is some kind of magic wand, it wouldn't have enough time to make an actual chipset in time for the BB10 launch as RIM only bought them 10 months ago.

[EGerhardt]

Gonna have to correct you, VZW and AT&T are using 700 mhz for LTE, Sprint is using 1900 FOR LTE and will be using 2500/2600 for LTE Advanced when it is ready along with having roaming agreements already in place with Asia. TMobile is setting themselves to have LTE in there AWS band after they get 1900 squared away for hspa+.

I stand corrected. I wiki'ed up what frequencies LTE is on the world over and tossed out a few that matched up, I can't say I know it that well.

It would then seem that 4G is even trickier to take abroad than I thought.

[raino]

LTE will be a bigger pain in the rear end than 2g/3G/HSPA+ ever were. Now in addition to bands, end users will also have to keep track of classes. For example, in the US, both AT&T and Verizon use the 700 MHz band, but they operate in different sets of band classes. And what's worse is that small carriers who may happen to be lucky enough to get an LTE network running may not get phone makers to make phones with their band+class frequencies, if the phone maker deems their network to be "too obscure." And if they (small carriers) can't keep up with the big boys, they'll get bought out. Great unifier, my ***.

[portal]

Thank you for sounding off your views. I didn't realise how different the LTE was compared to the current networks. It kind of seems like the world was a bit unified in setting standards for the previous networks and thus streamline the chipsets (with some exceptions), but in the case of LTE they have gone all in different directions.

Perhaps for someone who will be roaming, a solid 3G network roaming phone is the way to go, with LTE coverage for the region they live in.

[Skeevecr]

Perhaps for someone who will be roaming, a solid 3G network roaming phone is the way to go, with LTE coverage for the region they live in.

That does seem to be the sensible approach along with using wifi as much as possible too.