Earlier this week Intel announced the commercial availability of its multimode, multiband 4G LTE solution. Intel's XMM 7160 LTE modem is now shipping in the 4G version of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 (10.1) which is available in Asia and Europe. Intel XMM 7160 provides multimode (2G/3G/4G LTE) voice and data with simultaneous support for 15 LTE bands for global LTE roaming. It is also voice-over LTE (VoLTE) capable. 

Intel plans to deliver next-generation LTE solutions, including the Intel XMM 7260 in 2014. The Intel XMM 7260 adds LTE Advanced features, such as carrier aggregation, faster speeds and support for both TD-LTE and TD-SCDMA. 

Company is also introducing PCIe (PCI Express) M.2 modules for 4G connected tablets, Ultrabooks and 2 in 1 devices as well as an integrated radio frequency (RF) transceiver module, the Intel SMARTi™ m4G. The Intel M.2 module supports peak downlink speeds of 100Mbps over LTE. The modules support up to 15 LTE frequency bands for global roaming. In addition, those modules also feature support for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) based on the Intel CG1960 GNSS solution.

According to company, the M.2 module is currently undergoing interoperability testing with tier-one global service providers. Intel M.2-based modules will soon be available from Huawei, Sierra Wireless and Telit. These modules are expected to ship globally in 2014 tablet and Ultrabook designs from leading manufacturers.

The new Intel SMARTi m4G was developed in cooperation with Murata and integrates the Intel SMARTi 4G transceiver with most front-end components in one LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramic) package.