During CES 2018, Microsoft announced the first batch of carriers that will officially support Always Connected PCs based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform. At the time, there were some notable names missing from that list, but Qualcomm has now revealed more major carriers around the world have jumped on board to support Always Connected PCs on their LTE networks.
Notable for U.S. customers are the additions of T-Mobile and AT&T, but there are a number of other worldwide carriers on board as well. Here's a look:
- Australia – Telstra
- China – CMCC (China Mobile Communications Corporation)
- France – Transatel
- Germany – Deutsche Telekom
- Ireland - Cubic
- Spain – Telefónica
- Switzerland – Swisscom
- U.S.A – T-Mobile and AT&T
These join China Telecom, Italy's TIM, EE in the UK, and Sprint and Verizon in the U.S., all of which were announced at CES.
This follows the reveal of the first entries in the Always Connected PC category by Microsoft and its hardware partners in early December. Running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, the PCs, including HP's Envy x2, ASUS' NovaGo, and Lenovo's Miix 630, are expected to offer exceptional battery life, instant-on, and persistent LTE connections. Those advantages won't come without some tradeoffs, but they should end up being a boon for a lot of PC users.
As for when and where you'll be able to get your hands on these Always Connected PCs, Qualcomm says that they'll start landing on shelves at the following retailers "beginning this calendar quarter":
- U.S.A – Amazon, Microsoft Stores
- Australia – Microsoft Stores
- China – JD.com
- Italy – Unieuro
- France – Boulanger, Fnac
- U.K. – Asus Stores, BT Shop, John Lewis, Microsoft Stores, PC World
Mobile carriers in some countries will also stock Always Connected PCs at their retail locations.
Why Microsoft may gain an upper hand with carriers thanks to 'Always Connected' PCs
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