LG WiMax phone with Microsoft and Sprint at CES 2010

Sprint, LG and Microsoft are set to unveil the first 3G WiMAX phone in the US, technology blogs said. Sprint is expected to launch the first WiMAX phone for commercial use during the Consumer Electronics Show(CES) 2010 at Las Vegas in January. Earlier this year, Sprint had said that it plans to launch its first WiMAX mobile phone in 2010.

Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer is expected to be present at the Sprint event in Las Vegas. Sprint, Microsoft and LG may jointly announce their first 4G WiMAX phone, made by LG, running Windows Mobile and running on Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network.

A Sprint media invite did not specifically say that there will be any phone launch, but said it will showcase “Sprint’s 4G leadership.”

Sprint is already offering hybrid 3G/4G USB Modem U300 for use on laptops and desktops. The USB dongle can access both 3G and 4G data. When the customer is outside 4G coverage, the USB modem will access 3G data. Just like the hybrid 3G/4G USB dongle, the LG WiMAX phone is also likely to work on 3G network wherever 4G is not available.

Sprint runs a 3G CDMA service in the US. Sprint has earlier said that its 4G WiMAX phone will be comaptible with CDMA, EV-DO and 4G WiMAX, so that one device can be used across all three networks.

Sprint claims that 4G WiMAX data access speeds on its network are about 10 ten time faster than 3G. The average download speeds on 4G WiMAX is 3-6 Mbps, while it is 600Kbps – 1.4 Mbps for 3G. Peak 4G WiMAX download speeds arep to 10 Mbps, while it is up to 3.1 Mbps for 3G. Average 4G WiMAX upload speeds are .5-1.0 Mbps while for 3G it is 350Kbps – 500Kbps. Peak 4G WiMAX upload speed is 5 Mbps while for 3G it is 1.8 Mbps. Sprint is also offering unlimited data access on its 4G data network, while 3G operators mostly offer limited data plans.

If it goes through, Sprint will become the first commercial WiMAX mobile phone operator in the US. Sprint already has a WiMAX network up and running, though it is not available in all the cities in the US. The 4G WiMAX network is being rolled out across the nation, and more are more cities are being added.

However, till now, Sprint has been offering only USB modems (dongles) for wireless data access through 4G WiMAX. Introduction of a WiMAX mobile phone from LG on its network will make it the first WiMAX mobile telephony operator in North America. Sprint already offers WiMAX data modems made by Motorola in several US cities.

Sprint ventured into 4G wireless data early this year, starting with Baltimore, Maryland. It has progressively launched its 4G WiMAX operations in Dallas-Ft.Worth; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago, Raleigh,  Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Portland, Abilene, Texas; Amarillo, Texas; Bellingham, Washington; Boise, Idaho; Corpus Christi, Texas; Killeen-Temple, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; Midland-Odessa, Texas; Milledgeville, Ga.; Waco, Texas and Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2010, Sprint is expected to launch 4G WiMAX operations in Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C, apart from several other markets.

Apart from its use as a voice-data carrier, the LG WiMAX phone could also be used as a tethered modem. This means that you can connect your laptop to the WiMAX phone and use it to access high-speed internet data.