Verizon's First LTE Phone Delayed?

The first Long Term Evolution (LTE) smartphone from Verizon Wireless reportedly won't go on sale on Valentine's Day, as had been expected.

The Droid Life blog has obtained what purports to be an official memo suggesting the initial LTE device -- the Thunderbolt from High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) (Taiwan: 2498) -- will miss its Feb. 14 launch date.

"No ETA at this time," the document says.

Verizon Wireless, meanwhile, responded via a tweet to speculation about the LTE device: "HTC Thunderbolt: no updates to report. We'll share what's real, when it's real, directly."

Why this matters
Verizon wants to have ten LTE devices on the market by mid-year. Amongst these will be four smartphones, which are likely to be some of the bigest sellers on the new network. Delays are often to be expected when introducing new technology but they are unhelpful for Verizon in getting new subscribers on its 4G network.

For more
Read more about Verizon's LTE Thunderbolt launch:

CES 2011: Verizon Takes 10 With LTE

CES 2011: Top 10 Cool Things at CES

OS Watch: Will Nokia Embrace WP7?

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile