"First" 4G networks

The news Monday reported that TeliaSonera launched “the world’s first fourth-generation wireless service” (as the FT put it) Monday in Stockholm and Oslo.

The statement is untrue, since the industry (including vendors) considers both WiMax and LTE are 4G services, and Sprint rolled out WiMax in 2008, and Clearwire is continuing the WiMax launch across the US. (I’m a bit of a WiMax skeptic, but fair is fair: they did get there first.)

Information Week more accurately calls it “the first LTE deployment”:

The first LTE deployment gives TeliaSonera first-to-market bragging rights as several other global service providers prepare to roll out LTE service. Initial deployments are expected to be limited to laptops with modem cards although handsets with voice capability are expected to be introduced later.

Verizon has been running US trials of LTE and hopes to launch the service next year.

Qualcomm claims patents on both LTE and WiMax. They are likely to upgrade existing W-CDMA clients to LTE, and they are hoping to collect royalties from WiMax as well.