MetroPCS Inc. (NYSE: PCS) said Tuesday that its first Long Term Evolution (LTE) smartphone will go on sale "later this week" as speculation mounts about a delay in the launch of the first Verizon Wireless LTE smartphone.

MetroPCS is describing the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Korea: SEC) Galaxy Indulge as "the world’s first commercially available 4G LTE Android smartphone." The operator is offering the phone for US$399 with no contract, with a $50 or $60 service plan.

The phone appears fairly similar to the Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) Epic 4G from Samsung. That device also uses the Android 2.2 "Froyo" operating system with a flip-out QWERTY keyboard and a 1GHz "Hummingbird" processor.

Why this matters
A full-featured Android smartphone on MetroPCS's LTE network should appeal to those who live in the handful of metropolitan areas that the network currently serves. The operator is unlikely to be the only provider with an LTE smartphone for long. Verizon expects to have four LTE smartphones out by mid-year. MetroPCS, however, appears to be trying to undercut its bigger rivals with cheaper LTE data plans.

For more
Learn more about MetroPCS's LTE deployment:

MetroPCS Turns on LTE in Four More Markets

Sprint Raises 3G Prices to 4G Levels

MetroPCS Continues 4G Price War

The Battle of FauxG

MetroPCS: Cord Cutting & Video Snacking

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile