Google Nexus 4 LTE Seen Working On AT&T's Network

The Google-LG Nexus 4 might seem like the perfect smartphone at first glance - affordable, unlocked, powerful, and at the forefront of Android updates. Its only flaw that comes to light is the handset's lack of LTE suport. But the Nexus 4 does in fact contain an LTE chip, and it seems like it might work on AT&T's LTE network. 

Thanks to AndroidCommunity, which points out an XDADevelopers forum post by user checkitonetime where he (or she) claims to have gotten LTE download speeds on the Nexus 4 off AT&T's network. While no 'how to' was published, checkitonetime does post screenshots of the Nexus 4 on Band 4 LTE. 

Despite achieving LTE download speeds close to 30Mbps, upload speeds were far slower, around 0.75Mbps, indicating that the uploading process was still not done on the LTE network. By comparison, my personal iPhone 5 on AT&T's LTE network regularly achieves upload speeds of around 17Mbps. 

It was revealed back in late November that despite the Nexus 4's lack of LTE connectivity, the handset still contains a dormant LTE chip inside. With a simple software tweak, the Nexus 4 can be made to run on Band 4 LTE. Users simply have to dial dial *#*#4636#*#* (INFO) or launch the Phone Info app and choose to connect to AWS.

Band 4 LTE is utilized by Canadian carriers Rogers and Telus. In the United States, AT&T does use Band 4 in select areas. AndroidCommunity reports that that AT&T's Band 4 is in operation in "Athens, Charlotte, Chicago, College Station, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Raleigh and San Juan." T-Mobile, which offers the Nexus 4 alongside Google, is expected to use Band 4 for its LTE network when it launches sometime in 2013.