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At CES 2012 Sprint revealed their first 4G LTE smartphones, the LG Viper 4G and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. At the same event, Senior VP David Owens revealed that Sprint has no plans to release further WiMAX devices. Sprint was the first to market with a 4G smartphone when it introduced the HTC EVO 4G back in the spring of 2010, but their gamble to choose WiMAX as their preferred next-gen network technology didn’t pan out as LTE has quickly become the standard. Sprint is currently in the process of migrating to the new format and doesn’t plan to slow things up or create confusion with consumers by releasing devices that rely on their previous 4G tech.
[via The Verge]
I hope they announce an lte galaxy note… I may consider renewing my contract at that point.
could this be used in any way to get out of a contract? why would i want my wimax phone for another year?
I do not think so however any Wimax phones will continue to be supported in Wimax areas. Also there is no telling when and at what point within this year and next if LTE will go live in your area. Best bet is just ride out your contract. I got lucky my contract ends in May I also live near Houston which is a first city to get LTE and by mid year we will also have LTE devices to choose from. Sorry dude…
No, it was your choice to purchase a phone knowing your city didn’t have Wimax service.
yeah, i didn’t do that. i bought a wimax phone in a city with wimax coverage. they are stopping wimax coverage, so my phone is going to be obsolete before the end of my two year contract. i didn’t know that when i signed the contract.
Wimax will be supported until at least 2015…..
Called this about 2 years ago. Still waiting for them to make the “Surprise” announcement that data will be tiered on LTE that I also predicted.
It will happen, but not as soon as you may think. I think Sprint wants customers to jump ship from their providers first for the unlimited data once LTE arrives, then shortly afterward they will start the tiered data process. We are probably still looking at a good year and change of unlimited left.
Probably Unlimited 3G theft will still remain…but they will most likely Tier data the 4G LTE. Just to have a leg up on the competition.
Yeah, I could see that happening too, but by then 3G should see a vast improvement.
I’ve had a 4G phone for 18 months and was told by Sprint store reps that my city would have 4G within 3 months of buying my phone…My city never got 4G so I’m pretty confident it will be another 18 months until we get LTE…I went to Verizon and their LTE phones were lit up with blazing fast 4G already in my city…I guess you get what you pay for…I want to stay with Sprint for unlimited data but it is tough when they continue to lag behind other carriers.
That’s why you don’t listen to what some rando carrier store rep says. They all lie. Unless is comes officially from the carrier do not listen to the reps.
The LTE roll out will be MUCH more aggressive and happen quicker than the WiMax (non-) roll out.
I agree that the LTE rollout should be quicker since Sprint stopped expanding wimax due to the impending LTE upgrades. I just hope they try to upgrade most of their network within the next year… No point in buying another phone with capabilities I can’t even use so if I don’t have LTE in my area by August I’m switching carriers… No more hoping and wishing or believing Sprint reps anymore.
You must live in Colorado Springs too. I’ve have my Evo for over a year and no 4G. They also tole me in less than 3 month. So I paid the extra $10 for nothing. Now they changed their tune and say the $10 is for ALL smart phones. I might as well have a useless iPhone. I ordered mine over the phone as a business account. I have four lines. Sprint better get LTE here by renewal time or I will probably leave. I am already at the upgrade point but I am not renewing at this time.
I’m in a holding pattern. I’m eligible for an upgrade, but WiMax was never deployed to Long Island. I don’t know how long before LTE gets here. Presumably, when they light up NYC, they won’t do the suburbs right away. If I upgrade and still get a smartphone, I’ll start getting billed the extra $10 a month they instituted last year. However, my phone is starting to show its age and has been slowing down for some time.
maybe pick up something to tie you over on craigslist? its looking like youll only have to wait a few months or so before the LTE phones start to be release.
Mine ends in October some time either I’m waiting for a HTC device or the iPhone 5
HTC is supposedly releasing LTE quadcore phones this year. Watch for announcements at the Mobile World Congress next month.
so glad i returned my S2 after 11 days
I was hoping for one more HTC WiMAX phone to compete with SGII epic touch. If Sprint isn’t going to put out another WiMAX phone then they need to work with Samsung to make the Epic Touch the best it can be. Is a great Android _device_ and good for voice and 4G but for 3G data, something is not right. We also have an EVO 4G and it is much better with 3G data, especially with weak signals. The ET is better for voice and good with 4G but they clearly need to fix the 3G radio. It’s almost unusable for 3G data in weak signal areas. It’s clearly not the network because Evo in 3G works great even with weak signal.
If Sprint won’t put out more WiMAX phones, I hope they work with Samsung to further improve the Epic Touch as it’s a great device that otherwise has one major issue.
If Sprint is smart they would make everyone that has a wimax phone be given the chance to upgrade their phone to LTE.
…BINGO…but,I’m gon do that regardless.
You will be able to. When your contract is up or 22 months after you bought the phone on-contract. Anyone who bought the EVO 4G when it first came out will have their upgrade before an LTE phone is released.
i have gotten several deals, including a $50 EVO 3d, but I knew about LTE so I didn’t take the bait. Sneaky bastages.
To everyone saying “Sprint will PROBABLY go tiered” just because every other carrier has… why? They have defied the odds and stayed unlimited thus far, so why would they change?
And why would they keep 3G unlimited and go tiered for LTE? That makes close to ZERO sense. There is so much more capacity on LTE. It would make a lot more sense to tier 3G and go unlimited for LTE.
At some point they have to find a way to pay for these upgrades. If unlimited plans aren’t bringing in enough new customers from the other carriers, they’ll need to find some other revenue source. Tiered data is one such source.
As for why LTE and not 3G? Simple, it’s easier to sell something new for a higher price than something old. Also, that’s where they’ve been spending the money that they’ll need to recoup.