4G modem situation becomes clearer

One of the biggest challenges Comrex has met in the years since we've been shipping our ACCESS audio codecs is support for third-party 3G, WiMAX and 4G modems. In the early days, these were delivered in a variety of form factors: Cardbus, Express Card, and USB. Mercifully, the industry settled into a single interface (USB) but there are were still a variety of USB "data cards" from each carrier, and there are hundreds of carriers worldwide.

In the US and Canada, the situation remains sticky, primarily because each carrier has a unique combination of operating frequencies and modulation standard (e.g. UMTS, CDMA, LTE). So one data card is not portable to another carrier (at least in a way that it will still deliver peak performance).

Luckily the field is finally thinning, and we can suggest a single USB data card for each US and Canadian network, and two relatively universal LTE capable cards that should work in the rest of the world. These modems are tested to work with the latest ACCESS and LiveShot firmware.

From Left- Verizon/Pantech UML295, Sprint/Franklin USB Tri-mode, AT&T 313U, T-Mobile Rocket 3.0

United States
Verizon Wireless
By far the only modem to buy today is the Pantech UML295. See our results in NYC to find out why. This modem seems to resolve all the ongoing issues we've seen with previous Novatel and Pantech offerings.
AT&T
The "Momentum" (also known as the Sierra 313U) is the only choice these days and does a fine job. One note--if upgrading to this device from a 3G modem (or AT&T's confusing non-LTE 4G) you'll need a new LTE-capable SIM card to experience LTE service.
Sprint
The name of the device is the "Tri-Mode USB". This is because Sprint's data offerings are spread across a range of frequencies and technologies. But the Tri Mode will handle them all, including the new LTE deployment.
T-Mobile
Despite what the commercials imply, T-mobile offers no LTE service. Their HSPA+ service (branded 4G and still quite speedy where available, but not not nearly as deployed as competitors) works fine with the "Rocket 3.0" (also known ad the ZTE MF683)

Canada
Rogers
All current Rogers offerings (including LTE, where available) are supported by the Sierra 313U (the same device promoted by AT&T in the states).
Telus
The Hauwei E397 is the modem of choice for Telus customers, covering all services including LTE
Bell
The U679 is promoted by Bell, but this is currently untested by Comrex. The twin device available for Verizon in the US (Novatel 551L) had some trouble synchronizing with ACCESS's USB ports, so we can't yet recommend this modem.

From Left- Hauwei E392, Option Beemo

Other Countries
Hauwei E392- This modem seems to be available from many international carriers that support LTE. It's a good choice, but if you buy this modem from places other than your carrier, be sure it supports the right frequencies, as there are several varieties.
Option Beemo- This is becoming our preferred international modem, supporting the widest range of commonly used frequencies and modulation styles.