4G Looms Large At CTIA
Updated with Sprint comment.
LAS VEGAS (
) -- All eyes will be on
Sprint
(S) - Get Report
and
Verizon
(VZ) - Get Report
at
this week as the telecom giants are expected to flesh out their 4G strategies.
Sprint will make its big CTIA announcement this afternoon
at a press conference hosted by CEO Dan Hesse. Reporters were sent an email on Monday inviting them to hear how Sprint "is taking the wireless experience to new heights in 2010."
|
Fourth-generation, or 4G, networks look set to be one of the big themes of this year's CTIA event.
The blogosphere, for example, has been alive with chatter that
Sprint
will introduce the world's first 4G smartphone, courtesy of
HTC
. The
Wall Street Journal
recently reported that Sprint will unveil the new 'Supersonic' phone in Sin City, and it seems inevitable that Sprint will beat its 4G drum today.
The Overland Park, Kan.-based firm is in third place in the wireless market, behind
AT&T
(T) - Get Report
and Verizon, but is the trailblazer for high-speed 4G networks.
With consumers and businesses clamoring for faster data speeds, Sprint launched its first 4G network in Baltimore in September 2008. 4G, which is said to be up to 10 times faster than 3G, has already been extended to 27 cities, according to Sprint. Working closely with its
,
Clearwire
(CLWR)
, the telecom giant says that this coverage will be extended even further during 2010.
Sprint,
which narrowed its recent fourth-quarter losses
, is expected to take the stage with HTC execs to unveil a WiMax Supersonic phone today.
The telco, however, was unwilling to provide comment for this story when contacted by
TheStreet
, explaining that it cannot divulge any information ahead of the event.
There has also been plenty of talk about Verizon in the days leading up to CTIA, with
Information Week
reporting that the firm will unveil more details of its own 4G strategy, built around
LTE technology
.
Specifically,
Information Week
reports that Verizon Wireless will make an announcement with VOIP specialist
Skype
at CTIA. Verizon, which already works with Skype around 3G, has not yet responded to
TheStreet's
request for comment on this story.
Despite all the buzz surrounding 4G, there is some
skepticism about when the technology will deliver investor upside.
Ericcson
(ERIC) - Get Report
CFO Jan Frykhammar, for example, has warned that 4G will not generate significant revenue until 2012.
It's not just 4G, though, that is
grabbing attention as CTIA kicks off
.
Motorola i1 |
There have already been signs that
Google's
(GOOG) - Get Report
will feature prominently at the show.
On Monday, for example, Sprint teamed up with
Motorola
(MOT)
to launch the i1 phone, which they are touting as the world's first 'Push-To-Talk' Android-powered smartphone.
-- Reported by James Rogers in Las Vegas
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