So far we have seen some of the biggest operators throw thir weight behind LTE and many expect others to follow the likes of NTT DoCoMo, Verizon and France Telecom. But what about the smaller operators? With WiMAX being chosen by many small operators who especially in emerging markets and TDD licences being much chpeaer then FDD licences, this has allowed small operators and new start ups to enter the market to provide 3G services.

MetroPCS, one of the smaller CDMA operators in the USA recently announced that it will be migrating to LTE. Although, no dates have been set for deployment and many details still need to be finalised, this is very positive news for the LTE camp, especially as they are not a GSM operator for whom with would be a more natural migration path.

So, will other smaller sized operators go the same way? It still isn’t certain that operators such as MetroPCS are looking to provide high speed data services to thier customers as many operators have said that they want to focus on making the most of current 3G networks. However, could this be an strategy by MetroPCS to set up roaming agreements with other LTE operators in the US?