Verizon to unveil half-dozen 4G LTE smartphones at CES

The Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month will witness Verizon Wireless unveiling nearly half-dozen handsets based on its super-fast 4G LTE network.

While Verizon has not made any official disclosure about all the 4G LTE smartphones that it intends introducing at the CES, an informal announcement by the carrier last week revealed that a Motorola handset will be launched for the carriers 4G network.

During the course of an interview with the Wall Street Journal, John Stratton - the chief operating officer at Verizon - said: "We've got LTE smartphones on the horizon... Motorola will be right there."

On Tuesday, Droid Life posted images of the HTC Thunderbolt, claiming that the handset will be the first 4G LTE device to be launched by Verizon. The only details that the site mentioned about the HTC handset were that it features a kickstand and Google branding.

Verizon had said in an early October announcement that the 4G LTE network will be launched by the carrier in 38 US cities - including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Boston, and San Francisco - by the end of 2010; and will debut a half-dozen LTE smartphones and tablets at CES. In addition, Verizon also said that the LTE will also be available in 62 airports.

While making the announcement, Verizon president Lowell McAdam had said that forthcoming handsets, and even tablets, on the 4G LTE network will be manufactured by "the top OEMs around the world."