Sprint Unveils First 4G Phone

LAS VEGAS—Sprint Nextel Corp. officially unveiled Tuesday the first U.S. phone able to tap into super-high speeds, as the carrier hopes to capitalize on its lead in next-generation wireless technology.

The phone, called the Evo, is made by HTC Corp. Sprint did not provide pricing information on the device or service plans, and the company maintained its timeframe of a summer launch.

The Overland Park, Kan., carrier needs the Evo to succeed, which would provide a spark to its early fourth-generation, or 4G, ambitions. Sprint sees 4G as a way of winning back the most lucrative customers willing to sign a long-term contract. The carrier has lost nearly 9 million customers over the past three years.

Sprint is racing to get people on its network as it hopes to exploit its narrowing lead over the other carriers in 4G. Earlier Tuesday, Sprint and its network partner, Clearwire Corp., expanded the list of cities to get 4G technology.

The Evo, which was widely known as the Supersonic within the company, runs on the latest version of Google Inc.’s Android operating system. The 4G device features a large 4.3-inch screen, similar to the HTC HD2, which recently launched on T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom.

It has two cameras, including a front-facing one used for video conferencing. The device’s ability to handle high-definition video is one of the key selling points for Sprint and the 4G network. The device has an HDMI port to transmit high-definition video to the television.

“This is going to take multimedia to a whole new level,” said Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse at an event for the device.

The phone also can act like a mobile hotspot and create a Wi-Fi connection for eight other devices. It uses Qualcomm Inc.’s Snapdragon processor to run programs faster.

The Evo will fall back to Sprint’s 3G network when 4G isn’t available.

“We believe the phone will be in a class by itself,” Mr. Hesse said. “This is a significant step,” said Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC. “I look forward to seeing some bandwidth-intensive application come out. The network speed is amazing.”

Sprint and Clearwire also provided a fuller list of cities that would receive 4G, including Los Angeles and Miami. Sprint’s head of 4G services, Matt Carter, said the new cities fall under the existing roll-out plan, and that they wouldn’t require additional funding. “We’re rolling it out according to schedule,” Mr. Carter said.

Clearwire currently provides 4G service in 27 U.S. markets. Sprint and Clearwire are committed to a 4G technology called WiMax. But in the U.S., other carriers have rallied behind a rival standard called Long Term Evolution.

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