The FCC has approved what should be Verizon’s first LTE Phone, the Samsung SCH-R900. This baby has LTE capabilities using the 1700 / 1900 radio bands. MetroPCS has already announced plans to launch the first LTE / CDMA phone in the U.S., the Samsung SCH-R900, and the recent FCC approval sort of confirms the spectrum that MetroPCS uses in various parts of the U.S.
Little details about the phone were available in the FCC report. The Samsung R900 will have Wi-Fi, which could point to smartphone capabilities, as well as Bluetooth. MetroPCS had originally announced plans to launch its first LTE device in a limited market at the end of this summer.
Actually this will be the U.S.’s first CDMA/LTE handset. There has been no indication of what operating system the device will run, although Android is probably the front-runner. Currently, LTE trials are underway in Boston and Seattle by larger CDMA carrier Verizon Wireless. Verizon is saying that they’ll have their 4G network (LTE) up and running in 25 to 30 markets by the end of 2010.
Published on August 3, 2010
