Microsoft says Surface Pro with LTE will be available to business customers in December

Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Devices Panos Panay today announced at Future Decoded 2017 in London that the Surface Pro with LTE Advanced will be available starting December for business customers.

The Surface Pro with LTE Advanced has a Cat 9 modem, which according to Microsoft, makes it the fastest LTE-enabled laptop in its class. The Surface Pro LTE also delivers global connectivity, with support for 20 cellular bands making it a great choice for people who are always on the go or traveling between countries.

Microsoft hasn't yet confirmed which Surface Pro configurations will be available with LTE, and it appears the device won't be available to consumer customers until 2018. The Surface Pro product page (opens in new tab) on the Microsoft Store stated earlier that the LTE model would be available at retail in the spring of 2018, however, that reference has now been removed.

Today's Surface Pro LTE announcement comes after its initial unveiling back in May. Microsoft stated then that the LTE model would be made available at the end of this year, and bringing the Surface Pro with LTE Advanced to business customers in December meets that goal.

Microsoft believes that the future of computing is mobile, which is why it's important to have products that support LTE capabilities. The office isn't just a fixed place anymore. People are working from their homes, on the go, in coffee shops, and in cars. Microsoft believes LTE will help people stay productive on the go.

Are you interested in buying the Surface Pro with LTE? Let us know in the comments!

See Surface Pro at Microsoft (opens in new tab)

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows 10 on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter: @zacbowden.

39 Comments

That would have been a great feature on the SP4 when I bought that one lol :) Nevertheless I think there will be a lot of people happy with this.
so does this mean the rest has to wait longer?
says so in the article
🤦
It seems everyone is having trouble meeting deadlines. Apple, Google, MS.... Is that difficult to be some of the largest companies in the world and meet deadlines? Yes, it'll be available for businesses in Dec, so basically they half-delivered?
That's way too kind.They clearly suggested is that it was going to be available to ordinary customers this year (and they even clarified this recently). Imagine if Apple stated that the new iPhone would be released in 2017 in December, and then at the last minute announced: "but only if you're female and living in Texas and your first name in Cindy." Sure, they've released the phone, but it's hardly sincere is it. Microsoft certainly don't deserve a pass on this one.
And businesses can't used them in Dec due to holidays.
Come on. It's a bit rich to hold a massive company that is producing amazing quality gear to their goals. A bit petty don't you think?
Is the SP with LTE the only thing revealed this am?
Indeed a bit disappointing. I think they originally planned to announce both the Surface Book 2 and the SP LTE today but then they expedite the Surface Book 2 announcement because of the rumors that Microsoft would be ditching Surface.
Really disappointed with Microsoft this year. First Groove and now rubbish deadlines. As a consumer and an individual I'm not good enough, is that it? I have to be a company or an abstract, faceless organisation for Microsoft to have any empathy? How about following through on promises made for a change? As I'm in Australia I'm guessing it will be 2019 then anyway. We're always last in line.The US, UK, Canada and anywhere else first. Try buying a Surface Book 2 15 inch in Australia now. You can't.
Well, I'm in Portugal and I can't even buy the Surface Book 1, let alone the second one.
You're in Europe so you can buy from any European country that has them?
Aren't Microsoft themselves one of those abstract, faceless companies you speak of? Why expect anything different from them?
Calm down mate. We never have anything but the Pro in Thailand.
the book 2 doesn't launch until the 16th, but regardless you can't buy the 15 in canada either. Only the 13 is listed on the MS site, and it starts at $2000, before taxes without a pen.
You can always get it elsewhere.
I'm sure the three people interested in a SP with LTE will be glad to hear about the date.
I like how they keep effing consumers up the behind. Seriously, at this point, if I wasn't a PC gamer, I'd ditch everything MS except Onedrive.
Looks like I will be getting an iPadPro this Christmas because MS doesn't care to sell to the retail customer. Its not like consumers buy stuff during the holiday season. Pissed at having waited this long to hear its not available to consumers till 2018. This is why Microsoft will just turn into another IBM as Apple eats them on the high end and Google on the low end. Dead man walking.
i was expecting Device Windows on Arm with LTE...
this Surface pro LTE is still using intel cpu right?...
Right! ARM announcements will be in December by Qualcomm.
If or when Qualcomm announces a chip for this. I expect it to be as underpowered running Windows as the dog slow Cherry Hill Surface 3 I have is. Qualcomm's chips don't come anywhere near keeping up with Apple's A11 chips which have now approached Intel's i5/i7 chips And considering it s a totally new chip from a new vendor any ARM Surface will be full of bugs for atleast a year. Only a fool would touch it with a 10 ft poll.
Didn't they say this wasn't true a couple days ago?
Why do we care now. I can always hotspot my unlimited phone, if there is no wifi. Until they add onboard GPS, it still just another laptop. I hoped and complained for GPS, back when the SPs first came out. Hoping that MS would challenge the IPad, but no. Surface will go the way of MS mobile. People are working from their homes "on wifi", on the go, in coffee shops "on wifi", and in "on wifi" cars "at least in my car." Microsoft believes that the future of computing is mobile, "yet abandons Phone." 1020, 950XL, 640, 535, two SP3s, HP TouchPad/android and 3 cellular/GPS IPads.
Why do you need GPS in a 2-in-1 ?
Because it is mobile. It would be nice if they could react to your location if only for maps.
In the past, many vendors required you to order a carrier-specific cellular equipped notebook or tablet. I'm hoping that we are past that now. Any word on specific US carrier compatability with the LTE version of the Surface Pro? My hope is that it will work with a data-only SIM from Project Fi.
With Windows 10 on ARM inching closer to reality, I think I'll hold off. My guess is the reason the LTE model was so late to delivery (compared to the other most recent surface pro launch products, not as a measure of deadline) was because including the modem required significant re-engineering of the board. Unless I'm mistaken, LTE modems on intel chipsets are usually through some bastardized USB style connection. Then again, I'm not an engineer so I could be wrong. I'll hold off until I see what Qualcom can do.
Yes, on all laptops i owned, the 3G/LTE modem is connected via PCIe on USB. And Windows support - 3 months after breaking it, they finally fixed 15063 so that the cellular whould work on wake from sleep. For how long, no one knows...
Keep dreaming that dream sunshine.
Keep dreaming that dream sunshine.
Good thinking. ARM will surely be used in new surface devices Read Andromeda!
Thankfully I already have a portable LTE equipped Windows PC from Microsoft -- my Lumia 950 and a docking station. Oh, wait.
Thankfully I already have a portable LTE equipped Windows PC from Microsoft -- my Lumia 950 and a docking station. Oh, wait.
De
Hope more Surface devices come with LTE soon - and for non-business customers.
Not in the Market for a new Pro as my Pro 4 is still running like a champ. However when I do buy another Pro it will be LTE enabled.
so what is the purchasing path if you are a business?

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