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"We've all seen the ads from the major carriers touting \"the largest 4G network in the country,\" but what does that even mean? And what's the difference between AT&amp;T's two 4G networks, one that's LTE and one that's not? And what is LTE? \nIn 2010, the major carriers in the United States were looking for a faster option than their current 3G networks. Sprint was the first company to take the leap into \"4G\" territory in 2010 when it released the HTC Evo 4G, the first 4G smartphone ever, which ran on its WiMAX network. But WiMAX didn't catch on, and the other carriers decided to go in a different direction.\nAT&amp;T and T-Mobile decided to go with a standard called HSPA+, which is basically a supercharged 3G network. At the same time, Verizon decided to go with the eventual winner of the 4G battle, Long Term Evolution or LTE. This is where we've run into issues. \nEveryone is riding the LTE train\n\nToday, AT&amp;T, T-Mobile and Verizon all advertise their networks as 4G, and this confuses a lot of people, including their own employees. While LTE is the true 4G network, the HSPA+ networks operated by AT&amp;T and T-Mobile are noticeably faster than their 3G counterparts, prompting them to proclaim them to be \"4G.\" \nAfter AT&amp;T finally woke up last year and noticed that Verizon's rapidly expanding LTE network was substantially faster than its HSPA+ network, the company decided to build its own LTE network while still calling its HSPA+ network \"4G.\" Sprint and T-Mobile followed suit, announcing they too are developing LTE networks.\nThe most notable change you'll experience when moving from a 3G to a LTE device is a dramatic speed upgrade. LTE networks are on average 10 times faster than their 3G counterparts. Sites load faster, Netflix doesn't pause every five seconds, and apps download at greater speed. \nChoosing the right network\n\nAfter getting off to a massive head start, Verizon now has the biggest 4G LTE network in the country, no matter what the AT&amp;T and T-Mobile commercials say. With more than 250 current LTE markets and plans to cover 400 markets with LTE by the end of 2012, Verizon is your best bet if you are looking for true 4G speeds countrywide. \nIn comparison, at the time of publishing, AT&amp;T has 39 markets with LTE coverage, Sprint expects to have six markets up and running by mid-2012, and T-Mobile is in the beginning stages of building its LTE network. Be aware that if you don't live in a LTE market, you won't get the faster speeds whether or not you have a LTE device. (If you have an LTE device but are not in an LTE market, your device reverts to 3G speeds.)\nUndeterred by its lack of a working LTE network, Sprint released its first LTE smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G LTE, on June 2. If you are in a market where AT&amp;T currently offers LTE service, the HTC One X \u2014 which may be the best Android phone available \u2014 is your best choice for a smartphone, with the new iPad your best bet for a tablet with LTE. \nVerizon offers a plethora of options including standouts like the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung with Android 4.0; the Droid Razr Maxx by Motorola, which has the longest talk time ever for a smartphone; and for those of you who enjoy a physical keyboard, the Droid 4, also by Motorola. Along with the new iPad, Verizon offers great Android tablets with LTE, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7.If you are in the market for a new device and want something much faster, a LTE device is the way to go. \nBut if you plan to travel and would like to maintain those speeds around the country, go with Verizon, which is currently the only carrier with a truly nationwide LTE network."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/06/12/4g-explained-what-is-lte/>