Prepaid carrier MetroPCS will launch its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the second half of 2010. The company today announced its choice of vendors for the launch of its 4G service. It has chosen Ericsson as its infrastructure partner and Samsung as the provider of its first “dual-mode LTE/CDMA smartphone.”

With this announcement, MetroPCS has stolen a march on Verizon, as the latter plans to offer such a LTE handset only in 2011, although it too plans to launch its LTE service in 2010.

“As the Internet goes ‘mobile’ we are excited to be at the forefront of this wireless evolution with the building out of our 4G broadband data services. We anticipate to begin offering our 4G LTE services and a dual-mode LTE/CDMA smartphone in our major metropolitan markets in late 2010,” said Roger D. Linquist, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of MetroPCS.