Microsoft equips Surface 2 with LTE

Microsoft has added LTE functionality to its second generation Surface RT tablet, but has limited its availability to the US and stayed quiet on a similar capability for its business-focused Surface Pro.

Microsoft today announced the Surface 2 would be available for $US679 through its website and US retail stores from tomorrow and, while unlocked, the device is intended for use with US telco AT&T’s network.

Australian users will not be able to import the device and use its LTE capability on local 4G networks - Australia uses the 1800 MHz  spectrum for LTE where US telcos commonly do not.

Microsoft declined to confirm whether it would bring an LTE-enabled Surface to Australia.

It also declined to comment on whether LTE capability would be added to its Surface Pro tablet, which is favoured among business users for its full-blown version of Windows. 

“We do not comment on pending market availability. What we can tell you is we’ve taken and will continue to take a measured and phased approach to Surface availability in order to meet customer demand and partner expectations,” a spokesperson said.

The LTE-equipped Surface 2 retains the same features as the previous wi-fi enabled model - the device runs Windows RT 8.1, is based on an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, and comes with 200GB of Microsoft’s OneDrive storage free for two years. 

The US$679 price tag does not include the optional keyboard/ cover, which can cost up to an extra US$200. The non-LTE version of the Surface 2 is priced at $US549.