AT&T’s Leaked Roadmap Gives Clues About LTE iPad
By 
Earlier this year, we speculated that given Verizon’s history of pushing the envelope on a very large scale, perhaps the launch of the CDMA iPhone would only be the beginning for a possible 4G (LTE) iPad in 2011.
Verizon has made aggressive plans to roll out their 4G LTE network across the nation. But, it is AT&T’s latest LTE roadmap test schedule the one that has given some clues about LTE-based Apple devices.
AT&T made a big announcement during CES earlier this year, in which the company made clear they would accelerate their LTE deployment in 2011. According to a few clues unveiled by LulzSec’s hacking crew, it seems that AT&T plans to include Apple’s devices in a series of LTE tests that would take part between late November and early December.
As shown on the image below, a speed test schedule indicates that AT&T plans to include the iPad as well as netbooks and dongles on a series of tests this year. Judging by the indicated timeframe for each test, we can certainly assume that an LTE-based iPad and iPhone will be a 2012 plan for Apple and major carriers.
I think it will be a stretch to see an Apple-based LTE device in 2011. Carriers like AT&T and Verizon are transforming their networks and making big investments to cope with the traffic and new requirements all of us are driving.
However, Apple was very clear when it launched the CDMA iPhone with Verizon. The company would had to make several design adjustments in order to fit all the LTE requirements specifications. But, 2012 should certainly be the year when Apple finally makes the jump to 4G. AT&T’s leaked schedule seems to show that carriers are indeed already preparing their networks for it.
[Image Credit: MacNN]
