Announced 4G Initiatives

Service Provider

Country

Key Vendors

Technology

Rollout Notes

Sprint

United States

Intel Corp., Motorola Inc., Samsung

WiMAX

A soft launch of the Xohm network in Chicago and Baltimore/D.C. was completed in December 2007, and a nationwide rollout will continue throughout 2008 with a goal of reaching 100 million people by the end of the year. Speeds should be between 2mbps and 5mbps.

Verizon Communications Inc.

United States

Alcatel Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola, Nortel, Nokia-Siemens Networks,

LTE

Verizon will begin trials in 2008.

No timeframe has been given for building the network, but Arun Sarin, CEO of Verizon’s corporate parent Vodafone Group, has said it could be 2010 before LTE networks become fully commercial.

Vodafone plc

Europe

Alcatel Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola, Nortel, Nokia-Siemens Networks,

LTE

Vodafone will work with Verizon to create an integrated LTE network that includes its GSM networks in Europe.

Clearwire Corp.

United States

Intel, Motorola

WiMAX

Clearwire plans to transition its fixed WiMAX network to the 4G-ready mobile WiMAX standard, but following the dissolution of a buildout agreement with Sprint, its exact launch plans now are unclear. It has said it still expects to transition to 802.16e market by market, over the course of time.

Vodafone plc

Malta

Airspan Networks Inc.

WiMAX

Since beginning the network in 2007, Vodafone is working to extend coverage to 99 percent of the island nation by April 2008.

Wateen Telecom

Pakistan

Motorola

WiMAX

The network officially turned up service in December 2007 in 22 cities. Wateen expects to increase the footprint, and reports speeds between 128kbps and 2mbps.

Various

Global

Various

WiMAX

Many vendors and service providers are in ongoing, undisclosed trials. And Motorola said it has completed the first-phase deployment of two additional commercial WiMAX systems in France and Germany.

Various

Europe and Asia

Various

LTE

Several vendors, notably Ericsson, will be in non-public trials of LTE throughout the year. The LTE standard is not yet gelled in the 3GPP, but once a final spec is published this year, more trials and announcements are expected. All vendors are working on providing 100mbps speeds eventually, which will characterize true “4G” — this is expected to be productized in 2009, with commercial launches in the 2012 timeframe.