That's what I said, except you sounds smarter saying it.
Perhaps just more verbose.

I've noticed, though, that this discussion often suggests that people believe VZW or Motorola can simply "enhance" the network or phone to provide the dual functionality. The sad fact is that all design involves compromises (much like marriages) and Verizon decided a long time ago that the advantages of a CDMA network outweighed its disadvantages.
I've read several places, this thread included about the LTE network, I am going to look it up for more information... But I was curious if we could get a response from YOU(jsh1120) what LTE is and what the differences will be if this thing gets off the ground.
It's nice to have info in one spot, I suppose
If I sound like I know what I'm talking about on these issues, it's more of a testament to having stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night than any real expertise. But from what I understand, here are the basics...
LTE simply stands for "Long Term Evolution" of mobile network standards. Overall, its major objective is not to provide better service to consumers (at least not directly), but to reduce costs and increase performance for carriers. Lower equipment costs, increased numbers of users on cell towers, faster transmission, simpler architecture, etc.
In effect it's an effort to bring the fractured technologies of multiple versions of GSM and CDMA together in a single more comprehensive set of standards. It's "backwards compatible" in the sense that the older technologies can run in a 4G/LTE environment, but the hardware designed for those technologies cannot take advantage of the enhancements that LTE offers. But since the product life span of cell phones is so short, that's not viewed as a problem but as an opportunity to sell more phones.
Of course all of this will require the retrofitting of new equipment on existing cell phone towers, as well. And that's why it cannot simply be "turned on" for the new phones.
Furthermore, it's important to understand that all of this development is not being driven primarily by the issues that concern US cell phone users. We constitute a very small slice of the potential market. Rather, it's part of a much larger transition away from "wired" to "wireless" communication throughout the world where it enables (what we once called) "developing" nations to skip the entire build-out of a wired communication network.
Thus, features like the greater range of cell links in rural areas and greater capacity of cells in dense urban areas that LTE promises are far more important in a country like India or China than in the US. This, in turn, means that the potential market for phones that take advantage of 4G technology in such countries dwarfs that of the US.