Verizon Wireless says it will offer a sneak peak at some of its upcoming Android-based LTE devices at a Jan. 6 news conferences at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The device unveiling is slated to coincide with a keynote address from Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg, who plans to introduce "several surprise guests" during his speech.

Verizon's current LTE device lineup consists of two USB modems, the LG VL600 and the Pantech UML290. The dongles cost $99.99 after a $50 rebate with a new two-year contract.

Verizon CTO Tony Melone said last month that the operator's first LTE smartphones would hit shelves by mid-2011.

This is the first year Verizon decided to exhibit at CES. The company is showcasing its recently launched LTE network, which went live in 38 markets early last month. The network offers downlink speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps, and Verizon says its latency is half that of its 3G services.

Verizon's LTE network covers about one-third of the U.S. population, including major markets along the East Coast, southern California and large metropolitan areas in the Midwest, including Chicago. Verizon says it will expand its LTE network over its entire 3G footprint by 2013.

Meanwhile, Sprint announced a pair of WiMAX-capable devices, including a new smartphone and mobile hotspot.

The new HTC Evo Shift 4G, the successor to the HTC Evo 4G, features a sliding qwerty keyboard. The Evo Shift comes running Android 2.2 and boasts a 5 MP camera, 720p HD camcorder, microSD memory expandable up to 32 GB and a 3.6-inch capacitive touchscreen display with pinch-to-zoom capability.

Additionally, Sprint announced the MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Novatel Wireless. The MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot has battery life of up to four hours of usage and 60 hours of standby time. The MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot is about the size of a credit card and debuts on Feb. 27 for $49.99.

Sprint currently offers two WiMAX-capable smartphones, the Samsung Epic and HTC Evo 4G.