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FreedomPop jumping from WiMAX to LTE by year's end, iPhone sleeves intact

Followers of FreedomPop's saga have seen the fledgling data-only provider make a few audacious claims: providing free bandwidth, for one, and basing its 4G device lineup as much on iPhone sleeve cases as on traditional access points. Add another one to the list -- the MVNO is planning to switch from Clearwire's WiMAX network to Sprint's LTE before 2012 is over. While FreedomPop is still planning to go forward with WiMAX for the initial deployment, it's now looking to use tri-mode EV-DO, LTE and WiMAX modems and phone cases just months later. We'll see if that leads to existing iPhone 4 and 4S owners getting an LTE fix without having to spring for a new phone; marketing VP Tony Miller wouldn't tell GigaOM more. Either way, it's a mixed blessing for data addicts that might find themselves crashing that much faster through the 500MB regular cap on free data.