Chicago – Regional
carrier U.S. Cellular will begin rolling out 4G LTE devices in the first
quarter as it begins to offer 700MHz LTE service in select cities in Iowa,
Wisconsin, Maine, North Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma, the carrier announced.
The carrier didn’t
say whether the first devices would include smartphones or be limited to data
devices such as mobile hot spots and USB modems.
The launch markets will include some of U.S.
Cellular’s largest markets: Milwaukee, Madison and Racine, Wis.; Des Moines,
Cedar Rapids and Davenport, Iowa; Portland and Bangor, Maine; and Greenville,
N.C.
Details of the 4G
LTE deployment will be announced at a later date “when plans are finalized,”
the carrier said.
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 was the winning bidder of 152 wireless licenses
covering portions of 27 states. The licenses are in markets that are either
next to or overlap with current U.S. Cellular license areas.
