Sprint Nextel (S) said it will begin offering its first LTE-enabled device later this month, with pre-orders scheduled to begin April 12. The LG Viper 4G LTE is set to retail for $100 with a contract and after rebates.
The device will include a 4-inch display, 5-megapixel rear and VGA-quality front cameras, embedded support for near field communications technology and Google Wallet m-payment, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and run Google’s Android 2.3 operating system. Sprint Nextel also noted that the device will include a handful of “eco-friendly” attributes, including ULE Platinum certification; a casing constructed of 50% recycled plastics; does not use polyvinyl chloride, brominated flame retardants, halogen, beryllium, phthalates and nickel; and will come in recyclable packaging.
The device will also include 50 gigabytes of free online storage through Box for devices purchased by July 22. The carrier claims that feature is a $240 per year value.
Sprint Nextel did not provide details on the planned commercial launch of its LTE network, only re-iterating that it was still on track for a mid-year launch in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio. Rate plans for the new device will remain the same as current smartphone plans, with no hint of any throttling or data limits for the LTE service. A number of carriers have decided to throttle data speeds or implement caps with overages for their LTE services.
Sprint Nextel is expected to add another LTE device to its arsenal later this week as it has a press event scheduled with HTC in New York City. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Sprint Nextel announced three initial devices for its LTE service, including the LG Viper, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone and a Sierra Wireless mobile hotspot compatible with the carrier’s CDMA-based 3G network as well as its WiMAX and LTE networks. The carrier added that it expected to launch approximately 15 LTE devices this year.
The bigger test for Sprint Nextel’s LTE network could come later this year as Apple is expected to launch an LTE version of its iPhone that recent reports indicated would also be available through the carrier. Sprint Nextel initially struggled to deal with the unlimited data access available through the iPhone when it launched across its CDMA network last year.
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