Top News

Apple to Launch IPad 3 in March, Outpace Rivals

Steve Jobs Unfit for Bush Council, FBI Says

Google to Launch Cloud-Storage Service

Google Makes Money on IPhone, Motorola Patents

Apple to Attack Copycat Processes, Rather Than Products

More News >

Sources familiar with the matter say that the device will run on Sprint's new WiMax network for faster connection speeds -- up to 10 times faster than current networks -- which the struggling company hopes will reverse its fortunes.

Over the last year, the Overland Park, Kan.-based carrier has been racing to build out its 4G network, run by partner Clearwire, to give it a lead over rivals AT&T and Verizon for data-hungry smartphone buyers.

Verizon, which has been testing its own 4G network using a competing standard called Long-Term Evolution, plans to launch a next-generation phone sometime next year. AT&T and T-Mobile, meanwhile, are still planning their higher-speed data service.

To date, Sprint only offers WiMax in a few dozen cities -- such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle. But the company said it plans to expand service to more locations -- including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. -- later this year.

"Expanding the coverage of 4G in 2010 will be an important catalyst for continued improvement in Sprint's post-paid subscriber results," said Dan Hesse, Sprint's Chief Executive.

In January, Sprint released the Overdrive, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot device that runs on both the 3G and WiMax technologies. It had previously announced that it would launch a 4G phone this summer.