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LTE and HSPA+ BlackBerry PlayBooks make their way through the FCC, LTE versions bound for AT&T and Verizon?

LTE and HSPA+ BlackBerry PlayBooks make their way through the FCC, LTE versions bound for AT&T and Verizon?

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Both an LTE and HSPA+ version of the BlackBerry PlayBook have made their way through the FCC today. Both tablets have Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, and dual-band Wi-Fi. One LTE version supports AT&T's LTE and HSPA+ bands, while another can handle Verizon's LTE network. Lastly, the HSPA+ only version supports AWS, which means it would be able to run on T-Mobile's network.

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PlayBook 2.0
PlayBook 2.0

The BlackBerry PlayBook has been available for nearly a year now (just a month with a full OS), but there's still no version of the tablet with a cellular broadband connection. That might not be the case for much longer, though, as an HSPA+ version and two LTE versions of the 7-inch tablet have been submitted for approval to the FCC. As usual with FCC filings, there aren't too many details, though we know that both tablets have Bluetooth, GPS, dual-band (802.11a/b/g/n) Wi-Fi, and NFC — a PlayBook first that we assume will be compatible with BlackBerry Tag. Additionally, one of the LTE versions will support the AWS and 700MHz LTE bands as well as HSPA+ on the 850MHz and 1900MHz UMTS bands, meaning it most probably will run on AT&T's network in the United States if ever released. The other LTE version has support for Verizon-friendly EV-DO and LTE Band 13. Lastly, the HSPA+ only version supports the 850MHz, AWS, and 1900MHz UMTS bands, so we'd expect this to be the international / T-Mobile variant of the tablet.

While the tablets aren't called PlayBooks in the filing, they do share the same length and width as the current PlayBook, so they can't be the previously-rumored 10-inch Black Forest tablet. It's worth mentioning that the tablets have been in the labs for well over four months — they were originally received on October 28th last year — so, like any product that pops up in an FCC filing, we can't know if these two PlayBooks will ever make it to market.

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