Is everyone so focused on the next iPhone launch that they missed what could be the beginning of "real" 4G?
You see, HSPA+, WiMax or LTE are not 4G. In fact, no single radio technology will be. 4G will be the ability to have 1 service provider of communication services, over any high speed data connection.
The 4G concept clearly separates the service provider from the radio carrier. And no. None of the current mobile operators "allegedly" providing 4G data services over a 4G radio network is either a 4G service provider or 4G carrier.
Google, setting themselves up with multiple carriers in a country, and with it's current GoogleVoice working over whatever radio connection is available, is on it's way to becoming the 1st 4G service provider. A provider of multiple communication services (GTalk, Hangouts, Voice), bundled with many extra services (search, music, docs, wallet and even a social network), on a line of Smartphones on a platform built just for it (and also working on other platforms), over a seamless, high speed, universal data connection. Which the user won't care who it belongs to, or what radio tech it's using.
All this off course based on add revenue, and the lack of a huge infrastructure a current mobile operator has to support, will come at very low (and global) prices, if not free.
But obviously, this will take some time to become a reality. But not that much... We all know after internal trials come the Beta versions. And google Beta versions have a tendency to be more real services than actual trials.
Apple's ideas of a "SIM-less" phone are/were aiming in the same direction.
Current Mobile Operators will survive by increasingly "selling" data traffic to 4G operators, as they themselves become one and turn their infrastructures into added value as "Premium support" for high value Costumers. Because the "leachers" will all soon have androids and move to "Google 4G". Even if they don't use data. At least now. But that's a different rant.
Or... I could be just nuts, so back to reading the next iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 or iPad 3 rumors, "this will never happen"...
