Prepaid phone company MetroPCS says it hopes to deploy LTE, the next-generation wireless standard, beginning in 2010, according to Tom Keys, chief operating officer of the company. Keys spoke with me at the MetroPCS headquarters today in Richardson, Texas. While he couldn’t lay out a definite time frame for the deployment, he said, “It is our desire to deploy LTE in 2010, probably the latter half.”
The company, which operates a CDMA network on AWS and PCS spectrum holdings, is in 14 markets, which is one of the reasons Keys expects the carrier will be able to roll out the network quickly. “We’re nimble,” he said. Company executives affirmed MetroPCS’s LTE plans on its earnings call last week, but didn’t offer up any details as to timing.
The news of such a rapid LTE deployment is a bit odd coming from a carrier that currently doesn’t have a smartphone on offer to customers, but Keys said a phone from a “Canadian smartphone maker” will be coming in the second or third quarter of the year. Currently MetroPCS doesn’t have a data card offering, and Keys wasn’t willing to commit to more details or a time frame for a data card strategy tied to LTE. For now, the company’s focus will be on the handsets, he said. Looks like Verizon might not be the first LTE network in the U.S. for long.
MetroPCS needs to work on their regular service. I don’t know if its their spectrum allocation or what, but they have horrible reception all around San Francisco. Plus, they do love to tack on a bunch of additional fees.
Another nail in the coffin for WiMAX in the US. Gee, wonder who that Canadian smartphone maker might be?
iif they improve their services can be a big rival
If they accomplish that, the service will be way better and, will compete with the big four.
They are going to be in the top four come next year
WoW!! Is it Me or is Metro PCS moving Way Too FasT! Its GREAT!!
i Love Unlimited With THem!
The CoveraGE IS gOOD & sERVICE PLANS aRE gREAt!!
& nOW WITH iTS tOUCH sREEN & bLACKbERRY oUT!! pLeaasssee!!! gOODbYE tO 1 oF THE bIG 4..
i PERSONALLY thINK oNE oF THE bIG 4 wILL gO bANKRUPT OR MERGE WITH OTTHER CARRIERS BECAUSE mETRO pCS IS eXPANING lIKE fIre!!
LOL LIKE nEXTEL wHEN IT WENT tO sPRINT!! TALK ABOUT bANKRUPT LOL
go metro pcs!! i love it!!
Based on how crappy u type and the free ad……TROLL ALERT
I read on HowardForums that our current Metro BlackBerry Curves have 4G chipsets built in, but need a firmware upgrade to activate them. I hope this is true, as I really love my Berry and don’t want to get a new phone.