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MetroPCS has plans to launch its LTE network in September using Samsung networking equipment, according to Jaebeom Choi, a Samsung executive in charge of systems research and development. The Wall Street Journal reports that MetroPCS will also have a Samsung phone called the Samsung Craft (also known as the Samsung SCH-R900), which promises to be the first LTE phone. The first two markets to see MetroPCS' LTE network will be Las Vegas and Dallas.

If launched, this will be the first LTE network in the country. Verizon has said it plans to launch its own LTE network in 25 to … Read more

The number of people who subscribe to LTE next-generation wireless broadband services is expected to reach 300 million by 2015, compared with 500,000 this year, according to a report released Wednesday by Juniper Research.

As the mobile industry attempts to ramp up deployments of LTE, short for Long Term Evolution, the real surge probably won't sink in until 2012, says Juniper's report, "4G LTE Hardware Opportunities: Subscribers, End User Devices & Vendor Strategies 2010-2015." But companies are prepping now as they grapple with strains on their current 2G and 3G networks from data-hungry customers.

Countries … Read more

Happy 15th birthday to Internet Explorer and AT&T says Net neutrality is indeed onerous and it's all for Verizon and Google's proposal (um, duh). The Facebook "dislike" button finally launches, but it's a scam; WiFi-sniffing aerial drones are the new black, and we celebrate 50 years of broadcasting to the world the following: "looking for a good planet to plunder? Call Earth."

Breaking up is hard to do, but when you're slapped with an early termination fee, the sting hurts even more. Then tack on a sales tax, and who wouldn't be crying in their beer?

In this week's Ask Maggie column, I tackle a tough question about being charged a sales tax on top of an early termination fee for canceling a wireless service early. I also tell a reader about a U.S. carrier that cuts customers a break on their monthly bills when they bring their own phone. And finally, I explain the likelihood of whether … Read more

On today's show, we invent a new kind of typing (booty type, QWERTY booty, that kind of thing), and look ahead to the end of the Internet as we know it. Plus, do ethics trump shareholder rights? The Mark Hurd HP scandal rolls on.

Boy Genius offered a load of dish Monday on Verizon Wireless' roadmap through 2010 and 2011. Some of the rumored devices we've heard about already, but not everything has been discussed before. According to the tipster, Verizon will have a Motorola Droid Pro global phone by November, two other global handsets from Samsung and HTC, a Moto Android device that will resemble the company's long-departed Q smartphone, and Android-powered tablets from Motorola and Verizon. And on the 4G front, Boy Genius predicts that Verizon will have LTE service across 75 percent of the country by April 2012 and … Read more

The tech boy has cried "Verizon iPhone" so many times that this villager hardly listens anymore. Indeed, it wouldn't be a day if a new rumor didn't pop up, but just wanting a Verizon iPhone to cure the AT&T woes isn't going to make it happen.

The latest tidbit comes via TechCrunch, which reported Sunday that Apple has placed orders for millions of CDMA chips that will be used in a Verizon iPhone due next January. TechCrunch used an unnamed source so we don't get any details, but that rumor, plus a … Read more

Rumor has it that Apple is buying millions of CDMA chipsets for a Verizon iPhone launch, according to TechCrunch.

The tech blog published a story Sunday citing unnamed sources that said Apple ordered millions of CDMA chips from Qualcomm in what looks like preparation for a Verizon Wireless iPhone. TechCrunch said that the chipset order is due for December, which could mean a January launch for a Verizon iPhone.

AT&T and all the other carriers around the world that are selling the iPhone use a network technology called GSM. Verizon Wireless uses a competing technology called CDMA. The main supplier of CDMA chips is Qualcomm. So if Apple is indeed buying CDMA chipsets, then it would make sense that it might be developing a Verizon iPhone.

Speculation about a potential Verizon iPhone has popped up periodically since the iPhone's runaway success began in 2007. It's been reported that Verizon originally turned down the exclusive rights to offer the phone due to unappealing demands from Apple. Recently, there's been much talk about Verizon possibly offering the iPhone in January.

Whether Verizon will get an iPhone has never really been in question--rather it's been a question of when. I've said in the past that I believe such an iPhone wouldn't be available until next summer at the earliest, since a Verizon iPhone would likely support Verizon's new 4G technology, LTE.… Read more

Clearwire announced plans Thursday to start trial testing 4G LTE technology this fall. The move will not only allow the company to showcase the capabilities of the technology but also allow it to "examine a variety of potential future technology combinations."

The tests will be conducted through early 2011 in the Phoenix area.

With this move, Clearwire is shooting to be a major player in 4G technology--specifically both WiMax and LTE. Until recently, Clearwire had been restricted, via a deal with Intel, from using any 4G technology other than WiMax. But that deal is dead and Clearwire, with … Read more