The widespread acceptance of 4G LTE was supposed to unite wireless operators around the globe. But the worldwide spectrum crunch is making international roaming a tough problem to solve.It’s true that today iPad owners, along with other 4G LTE smartphone and tablet owners in the U.S., won’t be able to roam onto international 4G LTE networks while traveling. But will that change in the future?When Apple introduced its third-generation iPad last week, it took the wraps off the first Apple device to get 4G LTE, giving the tablet super-fast wireless access on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless, even when Wi-Fi isn’t available. But for iPad users taking their devices overseas, 4G LTE access won’t be available. For some, this tiny fact may not matter much, since the device will be able to roam on 3G networks that use the HSPA and HSPA+ standards. And the iPad will still be able to access Wi-Fi. But the lack of 4G LTE roaming on the device highlights a fundamental issue with all LTE devices.The problem is simple: There’s not enough spectrum available throughout the world in the same frequencies to make roaming between networks easy or cost effective. So even though most of the world’s wireless carriers will finally be operating networks using the same basic technology, they still may not allow for easy international roaming.To read this CNET report in full, see:
news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-57395687-266/will-4g-lte-devices-ever-roam-internationally/