US Cellular has become the latest operator in the US to announce LTE rollout plans, stating that it will switch on the next-generation networks for a quarter of its customers before year-end. Initial LTE rollout will occur in “selected cities” in Iowa, Wisconsin, Maine, North Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma, including Milwaukee, Madison and Racine (Wis); Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport (Iowa); Portland and Bangor (Maine); and Greenville (NC). The operator plans to introduce a portfolio of LTE-enabled devices during this first phase of deployment and says it will continue to expand its offering during 2012. “In addition to our line-up of cutting-edge devices, customers who switch to US Cellular get unique benefits like faster phone upgrades without continuously signing contracts, and join the happiest customers in wireless,” said president and CEO Mary N. Dillon (pictured).

US Cellular is the country’s sixth-largest operator with around 6.1 million mobile connections. The announcement of the LTE rollout coincided with the publication of the operator’s first-quarter financials. Net profit fell to US$34.1 million from US$47.36 million a year earlier, but revenue grew 3 percent to US$1.05 billion from US$1.02 billion. The company lost 31,000 retail customers in the quarter, reflecting a loss of 22,000 postpaid customers and 9,000 prepaid customers. Postpaid made up 95 percent of the total. Its smartphone penetration is 20.2 percent and 42.5 percent of devices sold in the quarter were smartphones.