Sprint Nextel Corp. on Thursday announced plans to launch its first ever 4G WiMAX phone before the second half of 2010, posted Forbes.

However, not many details are disclosed about the phone itself, but online reports posted that it may be a new Google Android device designed by HTC.

Clearwire Corp., in which Sprint controls a majority stake, is managing the roll-out and up-keep of the network. Both companies seek to nudge the faster 4G service before the other wireless carriers begin rolling out their own next-generation networks.

It is rumored that the service can obtain an 3-6 megabits/sec speeds on an average, with boosts up to 10 megabits/sec. PCMag analyst Sascha Segan was unable to get speeds this fast during testing, however, he did see speeds that were twice the normal 3G speeds.

The summer period was witnessed as an early launch of the device by industry observers, especially with the WiMax network not fully operational. As a consequence, the handset will have to operate with both WiMax and a cellular connection due to the large gaps in coverage.

With WiMax already available in selected areas, Sprint and Clearwire possess a time benefit over Verizon Wireless, which has just initiated testing and rolling out its own 4G network, using a rival technology called Long-Term Evolution. AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA also plan to eventually upgrade to LTE.