Europe will get the world’s first 3G/LTE dual-mode modem

Sweden’s TeliaSonera is getting ready to launch the world’s first dual-mode 3G/LTE modem this week.

TeliaSonera is the world’s first telco to launch LTE way back in December 2009, and until recently the telco had only offered LTE modems. It had promised to make 3G/LTE modems available in the second quarter of 2010.

The modem in question is a Samsung GT-B3730 modem and is reported to be able to deliver “real world” speeds of 80Mbps on LTE and 16Mbps HSPA+.

Sounds awesome but TeliaSonera is quick to admit that the modem is not perfect with connectivity issues if users are moving from one network to the other. The modem cannot automatically switch between LTE and HSPA+ networks, instead users have to disconnect and reconnect to switch networks. TeliaSonera however said that they are fixing the problem with software upgrades to both the network and modem side, though this will come only in 2011.

If you’re wondering, TeliaSonera’s LTE subscription costs 599 Swedish kronor (US$77 or about RM250) per month for a 30GB data cap. A typical 3G data subscription with a 20GB data cap in Sweden will set you back 319 kronor or about US$40 or RM130.

Pretty cheap if you look at what our local telcos are offering.

Back home Maxis offers 12GB for RM198 while DiGi offers 16GB for 158. P1 20GB W1GGY plan is at RM129, Celcom offers a paltry 5GB for RM98 monthly and U Mobile’s highest broadband package gives gives you unlimited access for a very affordable RM68/month.

When Maxis came out with the announcement that they’ve successfully completed LTE trials, we said it was nothing to be excited about yet. It’ll still be a couple of years before LTE comes to Malaysia and even then we’re going to see modems entering the market first. Looks like this is very likely the trend

[via]