Chicago – Regional carrier U.S.
Cellular launched its first 4G product, the LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 10.1, and
priced it for a limited time at $399 after $100 mail-in rebate with two-year
data plan.
No prepaid option is available for the 32GB 4G
tablet, which is available through the carrier’s stores and website and through
indirect retailers.
The carrier did not say when the
4G version’s price would rise to its regular price of $499 after $100 mail-in
rebate.
Without activation, the tablet’s price goes up
to $799, enabling it to be used only over Wi-Fi networks.
When activated, the tablet operates
on U.S. Cellular’s 700MHz LTE network and on its 3G CDMA 1x EV-DO Rev. A network, and two data
plans are available for use over both networks. One plan costs $14.99/month for
200MB of data plus 25 cents per MB over that amount. The other plan costs
$54.99/month for 5GB of data per month plus 25 cents per MB over that amount.
U.S.
Cellular is rolling out 4G service in conjunction with King Street Wireless, in
which the carrier is a limited partner. King Street Wireless owns 152 700MHz wireless licenses
covering portions of 27 states.
The partners currently offer 4G LTE service in
select cities in Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and
Wisconsin, reaching about 25
percent of the population in its markets.
In the second half of this year, they’ll expand 4G LTE coverage to select
cities in Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. By
the end of 2012, the carrier’s 4G footprint will reach 54 percent of consumers
in its footprint.
The
carrier previously said the tablet would be followed soon by the Samsung Galaxy S Aviator LTE
smartphone, which enables users to talk and access the web simultaneously.
After that, the carrier said it would launch the Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot
in the spring, followed later in the year by a 4G LTE modem and additional 4G
LTE smartphones.
