Sprint and HTC wowed the crowd at CTIA Wireless 2010 with the announcement of the EVO 4G WiMAX smartphone but LTE technology struck back with its own handset announcement. It seems that we won't have to wait for 2010 for the first LTE 4G handset.

The Samsung SCH-r900 one of the first LTE-enabled, multi-mode, CDMA, 4G handset was introduced at International CTIA Wireless 2010 in Las Vegas. MetroPCS will launch the handset in the second half of 2010. The introduction of the Samsung SCH-r900 is part of the manufacturer's collaboration with MetroPCS to deliver advanced LTE handsets, services and infrastructure.

MetroPCS will also launch the commercial LTE 4G network in the second half of 2010. The 4G network will cover some metropolitan areas in the US, including Las Vegas. The regional carrier will leap-frog the traditional 3G technology and move directly to the next generation LTE technology since the regional carrier does not maintain its own EV-DO network.

This upcoming LTE 4G handset is rumored to feature a full touchscreen display, 3MP camera, full HTML browser, music player, Bluetooth 2.1 and a Qualcomm chipset.

The specs for this device appears tame when compared t that of the EVO 4G. However, MetroPCS is a regional carrier that specializes in prepaid services so it understandable that it will offer a mid-range device.

Standby for more details on this LTE 4G handset

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