TeliaSonera Sweden (Telia) has announced the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S II LTE smartphone on its 2600MHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, following rival Tele2 Sweden’s launch of the same 4G phone last month – claiming a first in Europe. Both Tele2 and Telia are offering the Korean-manufactured LTE handset inclusive with a two-year contract. Telia is offering a voice/data package for SEK649 (USD97) per month including 10GB of data, 3,000 minutes and 3,000 SMS, while Tele2 is offering three voice/data packages: Kompis Surf 4G, Snackis Surf 4G (both SEK369 per month including 5GB of data) and Maxi 4G (SEK689 per month including 10GB of data). The Galaxy phone roams on the Swedish 3G and 2G networks in addition to LTE.
Vodafone Germany also launched its country’s first commercial LTE handset on 1 March 2012, the HTC Velocity (a model sold in the US as the ‘Vivid’ and in South Korea as the ‘Raider’).