The GSM Association, a worldwide trade body made up of GSM wireless carriers, told mobile news that 4G LTE wireless will reach 100 Mbps. They are apparently in a provocative mood too, because not only do they claim 4G LTE will reach 100 Mbps, but will do so before wireline FTTH networks do so commercially. Dan Warren, GSMA director of technology tells mobile news, "Tests show LTE can produce speeds up to 186 Mbps, but obviously you never get the top speed and they vary with distance from the base station and interference.” These comments were placed in the context of European and Asian markets, but if they are indeed more than just boastful claims, competitive implications will surely be felt worldwide. Wireline broadband carriers will have some time to perfect their competitive response. Even by the GSM Association’s eternally optimistic timelines, we likely won’t see these type speeds until 2012 in Europe, and even later in the U.S.

RIM announced the launch of a dual mode Blackberry, which will operate on both GSM and Wi-Fi networks. The new Blackberry 8820 will launch on the AT&T network. It didn’t take long for RIM to get this new device to market. We reported about the FCC approval of the Blackberry WI-Fi device on July 9th. The new 8820 Blackberry also supports unlicensed mobile access (UMA) technology, which allows for seamless roaming between GSM and Wi-Fi. Although AT&T’s plan for UMA are somewhat unclear at this point. AT&T is expected to bring the 8820 to market later this summer.

Verizon Wireless (VZW) announced that they have completed upgrading their entire broadband wireless network to EVDO Rev. A. The service is marketed through their BroadbandAccess brand and provides broadband download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (Kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second (Mbps) and average upload speeds of 500-800 Kbps.

VZW can lay claim to the largest mobile broadband wireless network in the U.S., with Sprint running a close second. While AT&T can argue their mobile wireless broadband network is larger, they simply cannot offer the same network performance with their EDGE based network. Expect VZW to pounce on their rivals, especially AT&T with this news. I would expect some direct or indirect reference to the AT&T’s EDGE network not being able to support all of the wonderful multimedia applications being offered for the iPhone.

Cincinnati Bell recently announced its unlicensed mobile access (UMA) network strategy. UMA is a promising development which uses a convergence of multiple wireless frequencies to provide seamless mobile wireless access in a given territory. Cincinnati Bell claims to be first at launching a commercial UMA network, although T-Mobile has been trialing one for sometime. A subscriber’s mobile device automatically senses the best network to use for service, which can include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a traditional GSM mobile wireless network. For example, while on the road in a car, a subscriber would probably utilize a GSM network, but while indoors, their handset would seamlessly switch to Wi-Fi. Such a network conceivably provides better coverage by automatically selecting the best network to use, while also providing the network operator more efficiency by offloading traffic to wi-fi networks where possible.

UMA adds promise to carriers who may not have significant licensed spectrum assets. As the technology matures, carriers without a current mobile strategy may find UMA provides them the opportunity to launch mobile wireless services. It’s too early to predict, but UMA may prove to influence the competitive landscape, by allowing carriers of all sizes and niches to offer a wireless play, positioning them to compete more effectively.