Canadian Owner of Nexus 4 Figures Out How to Enable LTE; with Instructions and Video

[dgstorm]

[video=youtube;GXOY9EVZ4vA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOY9EVZ4vA&feature=player_detailpage[/video]​

Well, here's a shockingly cool bit of news today. Previously we shared a report that an LTE chip was found in the Nexus 4 phone, but it was likely impossible to activate due to missing hardware. It appears the rumors of this hardware impossibility were greatly exaggerated. Apparently a crafty Canadian figured out how to enable LTE on his Google Nexus 4 smartphone. It turns out there are some limitations that are hardware specific, but enabling it is still possible under the right circumstances. Here's a quote with some of the details, and a video above showing off this awesome feat!

We’ve shown you a video as a proof, and the thread on XDA-forums where the news first broke is full of people that managed to activate LTE on their Nexus 4. However, there are some caveats – it appears that only a specific LTE band is supported – Band 4 (also known as AWS). AWS includes spectrum in the 1710-1755 MHz band for uplink and 2110 to 2155 MHz for downlink.

AWS spectrum is currently used by several North American carriers:

• Bell (Canada)
• Rogers (Canada)
• Telus (Canada)
• AT&T (United States, in some markets)
• T-Mobile (United States, no LTE)

With that said, note that the XDA users that managed to enable LTE on their Nexus 4 are from Canada. But AT&T’s network uses the same bands like Bell and Rogers, so it’s very possible that LTE can be used at least in some parts of the States as well (Brian Klug from AnandTech says that, to his knowledge, AT&T has not deployed LTE on Band 4 in any market yet). Moreover, T-Mobile will use AWS spectrum to deploy its LTE network in 2013.

Instructions

1. Open the dialer.
2. Type *#*#4636#*#* to enter the Testing menu
3. In the Testing Menu, change the radio mode from GSM Only (it might be WCDMA Preferred also) to LTE.
4. Some users reported that in order to enable LTE they needed to create a new APN.

In theory, the trick should work for some AT&T users as well, but we weren’t able to test this yet. AT&T uses different bands for different markets in the United States, so LTE might only work in some areas.

So why do you think that Google marketed this phone without LTE service? It seems like it would not have been too much harder to add enough to get it going on this device. Strange...

Source Nexus4Forum via Android Authority

 

[NeoPhoenixTE]

When all other logic is thrown out, blame it on the carriers.

 

[drew96dawg]

That's great for all the Nexus 4 owners

Sent from my DROID2 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2

 

[johnomaz]

Just take my money google! Now I want to give my S3 to my wife even more and convince her to end her Verizon contract early so I can get a Nexus 4 =D. LTE for ATT is available where I live as well as very fast HSPA+.

 

[Crankintopwater69]

This is good news for those of us who are patiently waiting for the white version of this Beauty:biggrin:

 

[Crankintopwater69]

Just take my money google! Now I want to give my S3 to my wife even more and convince her to end her Verizon contract early so I can get a Nexus 4 =D. LTE for ATT is available where I live as well as very fast HSPA+.

I'll also have a ETF but I'll just sell S3 and make it up.:biggrin:

 

[Asgard]

I told them that it could be done, they told me I was crazy but who is the crazy one now?
*keeps banging head against the padded walls*

 

[geoff5093]

So those who said before the Nexus 4 doesn't have the proper hardware are partially right. It only works on certain LTE frequencies (1700/2100 I believe), so since some GSM frequencies use that, there's already the antenna for those particular bands, and the chipset supports LTE. But it won't work on most LTE here in the US.

 

[Krennel]

So those who said before the Nexus 4 doesn't have the proper hardware are partially right. It only works on certain LTE frequencies (1700/2100 I believe), so since some GSM frequencies use that, there's already the antenna for those particular bands, and the chipset supports LTE. But it won't work on most LTE here in the US.

It won't work on Verizon or Sprint LTE, but its not a CDMA phone anyway. It will work on AT&T's LTE, and most probably T-Mobile's LTE when it arrives, as they both use that exact megahertz band.