AT&T LTE devices go on sale Monday; network still on hold

AT&T will begin selling its first two LTE device on Monday, but customers who buy those devices may not find an LTE network to access.

The LTE network is supposed to go live in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio this summer (CP: AT&T LTE to go live in five cities this summer), but the launch won’t necessarily be in conjunction with LTE device availability. An AT&T spokesperson would only say that a network launch announcement was “coming soon.” In the interim, the devices will be able to access AT&T’s high-speed packet access (HSPA) network nationwide and tap into HSPA+ mobile broadband speeds in areas where it has upgraded its backhaul.

On Aug. 21, AT&T will start selling in stores and online the USBConnect Momentum 4G modem and the Mobile Hotspot Elevate, both made by Sierra Wireless (CP: AT&T debuts LTE devices as network nears go-time). AT&T only has another two weeks before it misses its self-imposed summer deadline for its LTE network’s official launch, so an announcement must be in the wings. AT&T’s LTE network will be only the third launched in the U.S, and its rollout schedule is far more conservative than that of Verizon Wireless or MetroPCS, but AT&T does have the distinction of being the only operator to use a 4G network as fallback for its 4G network.

AT&T is simultaneously upgrading its HSPA and backhaul networks to support HSPA+ speeds. While AT&T will only have 70 million pops covered with LTE by year end (compared to 185 million for Verizon and near 146 million pops for MetroPCS) it claims it will have an HSPA+ covering two-thirds of its 3G footprint, offering customers far more consistent mobile broadband speeds as they move on and off the LTE network.

AT&T also revealed LTE pricing today (Briefing Room: First LTE/HSPA+ devices to arrive in AT&T stores Aug. 21). It’s sticking with the $10 a gigabyte model that has become almost standard in the industry, selling 5 GB for $50 a month and $10 for every gig of overage. It doesn’t appear to be offering any bulk discounts, though. Verizon knocks $20 off the monthly plan if a customer signs up for a 10 GB plan.

Customers who have already bought the HSPA+ USBConnect Adrenaline will also be able to upgrade their devices to support LTE with a software download. AT&T said the update will be available via its Website Aug. 26.