Regional service provider Cincinnati Bell unveiled their 4G offering today and introduced their first 4G smartphone, the Huawei Ascend X 4G. CincyBell joins the list of carriers who define 4G somewhat liberally, using HSPA+ technology to power it for now. They are claiming “… theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21Mbps and peak upload speeds of up to 5.7Mbps.”
“Every day the people of Greater Cincinnati use wireless phones to share news with friends and family and stream music and video,” said Mike Vanderwoude, vice president and general manager of wireless for Cincinnati Bell in a press release. “With our new 4G wireless network, they can do all that and more at speeds that are faster than ever.”
CincyBell’s wireless coverage includes southeastern Indiana, southwestern Ohio, and northwestern Kentucky. Initial 4G coverage includes parts of Cincinnati for now, but they claim 4G coverage in over 100 metro markets through roaming relationships.
They are currently offering a ‘buy-one-get-one free’ promotion for their only 4G enabled smartphone, the Huawei Ascend X, which runs Android. Interestingly enough, their website makes no offer for a 4G powered USB modem for laptops or netbooks.
Yes, I agree.