Nexus 4 LTE Enabled Using Simple Hack

While it was discovered that Google's latest Nexus 4 smartphone does, in fact, have an LTE chip on the inside, the phone's radios don't cover the wide deployment of most LTE bands, resulting in unhappy users who yearn for faster downloads while on the go. However, a simple tweak has been discovered that allows Canadian users to take advantage of LTE on the Nexus 4.

Some hackers on the XDA Developers forum ended up finding a workaround that allows the Nexus 4 to use LTE in Canada using TELUS and Rogers networks. It turns out the Nexus 4 features unofficial support for LTE Band 4, which runs at 1700MHz and 2100MHz. However, it won't work in the US, since most of the major carriers use alternate bands.

Then again, AT&T is licensed to operate on Band 4, and AT&T has said in the past that they plan to utilize Band 4 for its LTE networks, but there's zero word on when and where that will happen. So far, users have had no luck trying to get LTE to work in AT&T's network and other US carriers. It seems hackers and tweakers will have a hard time with this one.

However, T-Mobile plans to launch LTE on Band 4 within the year, and T-Mobile also happens to be the only carrier to partner with Google on the launch of the Nexus 4. What does this mean? Well, It's still unlikely we'll see official LTE support for the Nexus 4 on certain networks. Google doesn't intend for the Nexus 4 to be an LTE device, and despite the simple tweak to enable LTE in Canada, the phone still doesn't have all the necessary hardware for a reliable LTE experience.

[via Android Community]