The latest data from ABI Research projects that 87 million 4G devices will ship this year, with the lion's share coming equipped with LTE connectivity. ABI analyst Phil Solis says that while LTE has a long way to go in becoming ubiquitous throughout the world, it's very close to reaching a tipping point in the U.S. where it becomes a consumer expectation rather than a luxury. And ironically, Solis thinks that Sprint's early build-out of its WiMax network has as much to do with LTE's rapid rise here as anything else, even though Sprint has now started shifting away from WiMax to embrace LTE.

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"We mostly see this in countries where WiMax was positioned to be a real threat," says Solis, who expects that LTE's status as the nation's dominant wireless technology will be cemented once releases an LTE-capable version of the sometime this year. "WiMax has pulled LTE forward and caused carriers to move to LTE more quickly."

Here's a brief overview of where LTE stands in this country: Verizon, the first carrier to commercially offer LTE, now covers more than two-thirds of the American population with its LTE network and plans to have its entire 3G footprint upgraded to LTE by the end of next year. AT&T offers LTE services in 35 major U.S. markets and its slated to launch service in at least three more soon. Sprint hasn't yet officially fired up its own LTE network but will likely start offering services in four markets in the near future since the company has already announced its first two LTE-capable handsets this month. And T-Mobile, with its acquisition of extra AWS spectrum in the wake of the failed AT&T merger, is poised to offer its own LTE services sometime in 2013.