CES 2012: Sprint Ramps Up 4G with Galaxy Nexus, LTE Devices

The carrier, making its announcement at CES, did not give the devices' release date, but they will likely go on sale by mid-year.

The Galaxy Nexus, considered the closest competition to Apple's iPhone 4S, is like Verizon's model with one important difference. Sprint's new Android 4.0 flagship phone is the only Nexus so far that has Google Wallet support, which will let owners use its near-field communications, or NFC, technology to pay at MasterCard's PayPass readers in the U.S.

Verizon's version also has the NFC hardware, but the carrier is blocking Google Wallet. Only a handful of phones so far have NFC capabilities, but with more people paying by smartphone in the next few years, shoppers may want phones that are already capable of using the systems.

In addition to the Galaxy Nexus, Sprint will add the LG Viper, a mid-tier smartphone to its 4G lineup. Like the Nexus, the Viper has a dual-core 1.2 gigahertz processor, but is smaller, with a 4.0-inch display, 5-megapixel back camera and VGA front camera. The Viper also features NFC, giving it the first Google Wallet support outside of a Nexus phone.

The Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot rounds out Sprint's new offerings. It combines 3G and 4G technology, with 3G offered over EVDO, but has 4G on WiMAX and LTE, meaning its speeds won't often drop to 3G. The hotspot handles up to eight Wi-Fi users and supports up to 32-gigabytes of shared storage.

Sprint is pushing LTE as its next-generation 4G network. It had at one time led the way with Clearwire's WiMax network, but carriers are switching to the more modern LTE systems.

Verizon now leads the way in 4G, with several phones that have LTE capability and with a network that can support the devices, but AT&T is gaining ground, and Sprint is entering the race as well with its new phones.

Sprint will still need to work on expanding its LTE network. It planned to buy spectrum from LightSquared, and entered a deal last year that would allow the satellite provider to tie in with its cell tower network.

However, LightSquared's expansion plans are on hold because of government scrutiny over whether its signals interfere with the nation's GPS technology for airplanes, weather forecasting and other applications, leaving Sprint to explore other ways to offer LTE service.

The new devices announced Monday, though, signal Sprint's plans to expand LTE service -- with or without LightSquared -- and signal the carrier's commitment to remain competitive this year.