Sometimes Long-Term Evolution wireless is presented as the future of mobile, and the answer to network incompatibility. That's half true. While LTE and GSM tend to play nice (or at least nicer than the entirely disparate GSM and CDMA standards) the bands and frequencies used for high-speed wireless access vary pretty widely in different countries, or here in the US, across different networks. Chip OEM Qualcomm is hoping to banish network anxiety with a new family of LTE radios, christened RF360. You can expect to see the radios embedded on future Snapdragon platforms.

The RF360 will work across a staggering amount of standard frequency ranges: GSM, CDMA and WCDMA, EV-DO, and an impressive array of LTE bands. It's the wireless equivalent of the 40-plug charger you see in the bargain bin at Radio Shack. A dynamic matching tuner, integrated amplifier switch, and 3D-RF packaging should improve reception Qualcomm is also tooting its horn about the power-saving capabilities, smaller footprint, and cheaper production costs of the next-generation radio.

Keep in mind that just having the various bands and frequencies available doesn't mean that you'll be able to hop networks like a digital flea. Carriers, especially in the US and Canada, have been known to place software blocks on hardware that's surplus to their requirements. Feel free to dig through the technical jargon in the press release below.