LTE in Dallas and Vegas
MetroPCS launches second LTE market in two weeks
Dallas/Fort Worth goes live with Samsung handset and wider range of services
CAROLINE GABRIEL
Published: 30 September, 2010
Flat rate US carrier MetroPCS may have more limited ambitions for its 4G network than Verizon or Clearwire, but it is certainly moving swiftly. It went live in its second market yesterday, adding the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area to its Las Vegas launchpad.
Dallas consumers will be offered the same deal as their Las Vegas counterparts - prepaid monthly plans similar to those on MetroPCS' 3G network, starting at $55, which include unlimited talk, text and data without contract. They will also be able to access the services via dongles or the Samsung Craft handset, which took the world by surprise last week when it emerged as the world's first LTE cellphone - a fairly basic single-mode device, it's true, but still reflecting how an operator with a simple business model (and LTE and CDMA networks kept entirely separate, for now at least) can move very swiftly.
MetroPCS will also offer some additional features on top of its $55 plan. These include
MetroStudio, for an extra $5 a month, which provides downloads and ringtones as well as video content from NBC Universal and other providers. And it will offer a new combined social networking and instant essaging app, allowing customers to access their Facebook, MySpace and Twitter accounts and IM from AOL Instant Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. There is also an enhanced MetroNavigator feature with voice activated GPS and turn-by-turn directions.
The Dallas LTE network will support most of MetroPCS' existing CDMA coverage area, according to the company. Looking ahead, the carrier said it will expand its 4G service into other markets later this year and in early 2011 and launch additional smartphones and 4G handsets.
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