Verizon is hard at work trying to get its first Long Term Evolution (LTE) high-speed network online late this year, but MetroPCS will beat Verizon according to reports that the MetroPCS LTE network will go live in September. MetroPCS is the fifth-largest operator in the U.S., and a Samsung executive let slip that the MetroPCS LTE network would light up Dallas and Las Vegas next month.
The Verizon LTE network may go live in November, but the carrier has indicated the first LTE-capable smartphone won’t appear on the network until next year. Samsung has stated that MetroPCS will make the Samsung Craft phone available in September alongside the launch of the LTE network. The Craft is thought to be a smartphone with sliding QWERTY keyboard, and steps down to CDMA when LTE is not available.
LTE is the next generation mobile network in its infancy. One network was rolled out in Scandinavia late last year that offers speeds up to 100 Mbps. With speed like that, it’s easy to see why customers on that network will never go back to mere 3G.
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