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The world's largest mobile phone network operators today revealed an effort to expand the GSM wireless communications technology to navigation devices, cameras, handheld gaming systems, music players, and more starting in 2012.

The GSM Association, the consortium overseeing the widely used mobile phone network technology, said a task force of members including AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, China Mobile, and Deutsche Telekom has begun working on adapting SIM cards so they can be embedded in many more devices than phones. SIM cards are small, removable chips that provide phones an identity on GSM wireless networks, but the embedded SIM will be more an intrinsic part of devices and will be able to be activated remotely, the GSMA said.

GSM technology began its life as a technology for phone calls, but with today's 3G and just-arriving LTE incarnations, it's used for data transfer as well. The embedded SIM effort signals a further growth of the GSM lineage beyond just voice needs.

So far, SIM cards haven't made it far beyond mobile phones, though some tablets such as the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab and some laptops include them. But it's easy to see why mobile phone network operators would be interested: mobile connectivity is ever more important, Wi-Fi networks are an incomplete patchwork, WiMax at least thus far hasn't lived up to its promise of bathing large areas with network access, and there's abundant subscription money to be made in connecting new devices to the Net.

"As our industry moves from connecting phones to connecting a wide range of devices, it is apparent that the embedded SIM could deliver even greater flexibility," GSMA Chief Executive Rob Conway said in a statement.

One trick will be to get new devices onto wireless networks without overtaxing the networks even more.… Read more

LTE received another teammate in the tug-of-war between WiMax and 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology yesterday when Cellular South announced its intentions today to build out a 4G mobile broadband network.

The regional carrier has declared that it will build out its spectrum in the lower 700 MHz band, but not anytime soon, unlike Verizon. Cellular South has the calendar circled for the fourth quarter of 2011.

In addition to sharing its 4G ambitions, Cellular South has also unveiled Samsung as its launch partner. The two companies penned a deal yesterday that will bring two Samsung smartphones to Cellular … Read more

U.S. Cellular offered additional details on its next-generation LTE network yesterday when a company executive said it would begin testing early next year. According to Steven Campbell, CFO and executive vice president, the regional carrier will select its first trial market in late 2011 with full commercial deployment following in 2012. Campbell made the remarks while speaking at the Wells Fargo Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in New York.

U.S. Cellular has yet to select an LTE equipment vendor, but Fierce Wireless reported that the carrier is open to securing deals with companies like Clearwire and Ligtsquad, particularly … Read more

Earlier this week, T-Mobile USA, the fourth largest cell phone operator in the U.S., launched a marketing campaign calling its newly upgraded network "America's Largest 4G Network."

The claim has ruffled more than a few feathers at T-Mobile competitors, namely Sprint Nextel, which has been helping its partner Clearwire build a nationwide network using a technology called WiMax that it claims is 4G.

Verizon Wireless is also building a "4G" network using a different technology called LTE or Long Term Evolution. It plans to launch this network in 38 markets by the end of the year.… Read more

Welcome to The 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Question: Now that Sprint's 4G is finally coming to New York City, I was thinking of getting a 4G phone. Are the speeds really that good? Should I get a WiMax phone from Sprint, or will I regret it if LTE becomes the new standard? -- Michael, via e-mail

In general terms, yes, 4G is faster than 3G, at least where Sprint is concerned. Sprint's 4G WiMax can offer speeds of up to 10Mbps down, though real-world speeds average out to around 3Mbps to 6Mbps. This is far faster than Sprint's EV-DO, which tops out at around 3Mbps.

As for whether it's faster than 3G in general, at this point, it's about on par with T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, which is still technically 3G technology. However, WiMax and LTE have the capacity for much faster speeds--up to 40Mbps or more. These are early days for 4G, so we expect speeds to improve as carriers grow their infrastructure. As for whether you should place your bets on WiMax or LTE, you shouldn't fret. Sprint has already mentioned that it has the ability to switch from WiMax to LTE without too many headaches. In our opinion though, it does seem like LTE will be the more globally accepted standard, as both Verizon and AT&T have come out in support of it.… Read more

Engadget obtained a couple of images that show a very sleek-looking LG handset bearing Verizon Wireless branding.

As Engadget reports, there are very few details to share at this point, but looking closely at the touch-only phone, you can discern what appears to be a screen in the range of 4 inches or larger with a high-definition camera on the back. The right side should have a volume rocker and microSD card, and a dedicated camera button should sit on the left side. The striping down the middle of the back side appears to include logos for both DLNA and … Read more

A tech consumer's worst nightmare is buying a hot new device today only to find that it's obsolete or outdated within a few months or a year.

With the quick pace of innovation in wireless technology these days, it's a dilemma that is hard to avoid. This week I break the hard news to a reader that 3G phones of today won't be compatible with the ultra fast 4G networks of tomorrow.

I also try to help a Canadian reader, who travels to the U.S., figure out the best option for buying prepaid voice and … Read more

CHICAGO - Two of the most popular next generation wireless technologies are close to getting their official 4G moniker from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The ITU, which is an agency within the United Nations, is the International standards body that officially designates wireless technologies as 1G, 2G, 3G and now 4G. This week at a meeting in China the group took a step closer to making the technologies LTE or Long Term Evolution and WiMax official 4G standards.

Specifically, the ITU voted that LTE-Advanced technology, meets the criteria it uses to classify the technology as 4G. The ITU also … Read more

CHICAGO--Clearwire is getting near 100Mbps downloads on its LTE-based trial wireless network in Phoenix, a company executive said today.

During a keynote presentation here at the 4G World trade show, Michael Sievert, Clearwire's chief commercial officer, shared initial speed test results on a trial network the company has built in Phoenix to test the next generation of a 4G technology called LTE, or Long Term Evolution. Clearwire announced it was testing LTE network technology in Phoenix in August.

According to Sievert, the company has clocked download speeds at 50 megabits per second using 10MHz channels for up and down … Read more