MetroPCS Plans Dual-Mode CDMA/LTE Smartphone for 2010

That's frequencies on which LTE operates. LTE is a standard, but can operate on a variety of frequencies. In the US, all carriers utilize either 850MHz and/or 1900MHz, which LTE will operate on. Of course, carriers hold additional spectrums (e.g. VZW with 700MHz, Sprint/Clear with 2.5GHz, T-Mobile with 1700/2100MHz).

I thought LTE would operate on the 700MHz instead, which allows it greater coverage and better building penetration.

850 and 1900 will still be for 2g/3g bands for the phones to fall back on if 4g isn't available, or if the customer is doing a voice call.

LTE is designed to operate across nearly all frequencies. Verizon is implementing it on their 700MHz spectrum initially, but in 5-10 years when they begin to phase out CDMA, they will most likely migrate LTE (or whatever 4/4.5/5G standard is widely available at the time) onto their other holdings.

Menno said:
I thought LTE would operate on the 700MHz instead, which allows it greater coverage and better building penetration.

850 and 1900 will still be for 2g/3g bands for the phones to fall back on if 4g isn't available, or if the customer is doing a voice call.

Nope. That VZW & AT&T have decided to deploy LTE initially in Lower/Upper 700 MHz spectrum does not mean that LTE will be deployed in only Lower/Upper 700 MHz spectrum, nor does it mean that only LTE will be deployed in Lower/Upper 700 MHz spectrum.

In due time, LTE will be deployed in Cellular 850 MHz, PCS 1900 MHz, and AWS 2100+1700 MHz spectrum. And, possibly, at least one other airlink technology will also be deployed in Lower/Upp...
(continues)

So you think someday LTE will be deployed in the 850 band, huh? Does that mean that since my Nokia N95 has 850mhz it will be capable of recieving an LTE signal?

Jayshmay said:
So you think someday LTE will be deployed in the 850 band, huh? Does that mean that since my Nokia N95 has 850mhz it will be capable of recieving an LTE signal?

Not even close. That is like asking if your five year old DVD player can play Blu-ray simply because DVD & Blu-ray are both 12 cm optical discs.

AJ

I'm well aware that the Blu-Ray has a completly different laser than DVD does.

Jayshmay said:
I'm well aware that the Blu-Ray has a completly different laser than DVD does.

But you are apparently not aware that LTE uses an airlink completely different from that of W-CDMA (or CDMA, GSM, etc.). And that was the point of my analogy.

AJ

As with 2G & 3G, overseas will operate on different bands than the U.S. However, the technologies are the same.