Mobile Miscellany: week of March 18th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, a potential listing of T-Mobile's LTE launch markets was leaked, the FCC Chairman gave notice of upcoming spectrum auctions and Sprint issued a teaser for all you Windows Phone fans. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of March 18th, 2013.
Initial T-Mobile LTE markets leaked for March 26th launch
T-Mobile has something up its sleeve for reveal on March 26th, and if a recent leak from TmoNews provides any indication, it'll have a little something to do with LTE. According to a leaked internal document, the carrier will formally announce LTE availability in Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, Houston, Washington, D.C., Kansas City and Baltimore on the 26th. In addition to the BlackBerry Z10 and the recently updated Galaxy Note II, the Sonic 2.0 LTE hotspot will be available for purchase on the 26th in order to tap those nascent airwaves. Now all the Magenta-hued network needs to do is make everything official. [TmoNews]
FCC signals upcoming spectrum auction
FCC Chairman Genachowski may have one foot out the door, but that's not keeping him from working to free up more spectrum before he's out. This week, Genachowski provided notice to the NTIA that the agency would auction the 1695-1710MHz and 1755-1780MHz spectrum bands, which could come as soon as September 2014. It's not as if the Chairman's notice caught anyone at the NTIA by surprise, however, as the NTIA had previously recommended that both bands be transitioned from federal to commercial use. Notice of the auction aside, there's a high likelihood that the 1755-1780 MHz band may be set aside in reserve and later paired with the 2155-2180 MHz band, which would be auctioned by February 2015 at the very earliest. [FierceWireless]
Sprint teases Windows Phone 8... and not much more
Dan Hesse and crew may be dragging their collective heels when it comes to bringing Windows Phone 8 handsets to Sprint's shelves, but the carrier reminded everyone this week that it's going to make good on that promise. Now we've got a landing page to stare at, which reaffirms that Windows Phone is indeed coming soon to the Now Network. Sadly, Sprint stopped short of naming the specific devices that are on deck, but its partnerships with HTC and Samsung give a strong indication of what to expect. [WPCentral]
Lenovo S920 now official in China
It started life as a leak, but this week, Lenovo made the S920 official for Chinese markets. The 5.3-inch smartphone wields a 720p display, a 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 SoC, an 8MP rear / 2MP front camera and Android 4.2. The device also features 1GB of RAM, expandable microSD storage, a 2,250mAh battery and measures 7.9mm thick. The Lenovo S920 isn't yet for sale, but it's said to become available early next month. [Unwired View]
Other random tidbits
Verizon Wireless has extended its LTE network to Presque Isle, Maine. [Verizon Wireless]
Dual-SIM versions of the LG Optimus L5II and Optimus L7II will be introduced in Taiwan as the Optimus Duet and Optimus Duet+. [Unwired View]
The Acer Liquid E1 will arrive this month in Taiwan for NT$8,900 ($298). Similarly, the phone is also available for pre-order from Expansys UK, where it's priced at £174.99 ($266). [Unwired View]
