Still, even if Verizon doesn't have AT&T's "4G" HSPA+, it has a head start on the pack with the faster LTE. Verizon launched LTE in 38 markets in December and last week said it is speeding up its upgrade path so that another 140 markets will come online this year. Currently, Verizon's LTE network covers 100 million people, and in 18 months it will reach 200 million people, Tony Melone, chief technology officer for Verizon, said at CES. He said the network should offer 5 Mbps to 12 Mbps download speeds.

Further confusing matters, T-Mobile last week also announced new plans for its own "4G" HSPA+ network, saying that it will double the speed so that it's capable of delivering an astounding 42 Mbps. That, however, would be the download rate if just one person were connected at a time to a cell tower. Operators typically try to offer users a more realistic approximation of the speed they'll get in a real-life situation when sharing the network with other people.

To make the situation even more complicated, the International Telecommunication Union has flip-flopped on what technologies should officially get the 4G moniker. In November, the ITU's Radiocommunication Sector said will be a future version of LTE, called LTE-Advanced, and the next generation of WiMax, known as WirelessMAN-Advanced.

However, in early December it seemed to . Buried in a press release, it said that LTE and WiMax may be called 4G since they offer improved performance over 3G.

Consumers may also be confused because the data rates they get ultimately will depend on whether they have a device that works on the fastest networks. Currently, the only way to access Verizon's LTE network is using a USB dongle with a laptop.