Andre Yoskowitz
15 Jan 2012 15:15
Verizon has noted this week that it has made it a requirement for all of its smartphones and tablets to have 4G LTE chips into the future.
Feature phones and "push-to-talk" devices will still be 3G-only, but Verizon doesn't really push those devices, anyways (ever stepped into a Verizon store?)
Keith Lampron, Verizon's associate director of device marketing, also added that the company will eventually move to Windows Phone devices, which only just recently (at CES) saw announcements for their first 4G LTE phones. Devices like the HTC Titan II and Nokia Lumia 900 (or variants) have a good chance of making Verizon's lineup later in the year. Additionally, the iPhone 5 is expected to have LTE support.
Verizon, which began rolling out its LTE network last year, will have its infrastructure completed by the end of 2013. When complete, "190 markets and 200 million people" will be covered by LTE, says Cnet.
Major rival AT&T is still in the baby steps of rolling out its LTE network in the U.S.