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According to a recent report from iFans, Lulzec, a group that infamously pulled off a string of fifty high-profile server hacks, ended up releasing some AT&T internal documents that discuss AT&T’s LTE rollout – one particular document might have outed the LTE iPad.
The document, pictured above, details LTE testing scenarios for the iPad. From the document:
Pre-LTE scenarios. Testing will include iPad new activations HLS using the new rate plan, as well as a regression on netbooks and dongles. During validation E2E execution should ensure all functionality new and current is still functioning properly by validating account set up, provisioning, usage and notifications.
•SBP ST scenarios. Testing will include activations, add stacked plans, add international plans, perform customer service functions using the LTE devices. Testing will validate device is being provisioned and the proper policy from PCRF are being enforced. Usage should be added to decrement the account when needed in order to show RTDUNS are functioning properly.
The slide indicates that either AT&T has will be testing (or already has) iPad activations using LTE. The document was filed in November 2010, however, which raises the possibility that they may be detailing teting to be done in the future. The document is extremely unclear in this regard.
At any rate, testing or no testing, it’s unlikely that we’d see an LTE-capable iPad before 2012, for the same reasons we won’t be seeing an LTE iPhone before then – the current LTE chips are power-hungry and too large, and new chips aren’t expected until late this year at the earliest.
Make of this what you will – but it’s possible that this is an early indication of an LTE iPad in 2012.
