This graphic from Thomson Reuters shows just who is suing whom in our current patent wars.

T-Mobile has announced network expansion in 2011. The first three cities to receive a 42 Mbps HSPA+ mobile broadband service in the U.S. is New York, Las Vegas, and Orlando. After spreading in those cities Chicago, Long Island, and northern New Jersey will be the next ones.

Chinese consumer electronics company ZTE has beaten Apple as the number 4 cell phone manufacturing company. This knocks RIM out of the top 5 for the quarter. Market analysis company IDC issued data about phone manufacturing companies and ZTE’s growth was one of the most shocking. ZTE grew 76.8% year over year. ZTE had shipped 16.8 million mobile phones in the fourt quarter. During the same quarter a year earlier, they shipped 9.5 million mobile phones. Apple beat RIM in the third quarter of 2010.

Looks like T-Mobile is getting into the mobile hotspot game as a 21Mbps HSPA+ network device has appeared in the FCC database. The model number of this device is MF61 and it is being manufactured by ZTE. The inside label confirms that it is in fact a “T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot.” [FCC via Engadget]

Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE are reported to be left out of a potential multi-billion Sprint contract due to national security concerns. According to a source with The Wall Street Journal, the Defense Department and U.S. lawmakers are concerned with the two companies’ ties to the Chinese government and the military. If Sprint works with these two companies, then it could lead to security implications of letting their equipment into the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.

In Venezuela, Hugo Chavez himself introduced the first phone to be produced in the country.  It costs less than $14 and is called the C366 “El Vergatario.”  The phone was put together by the Venezuelan government and outside investors such as Chinese manufacturing company ZTE.  When the phone goes for sale, it will cost 30,000 bolivar.  Mobile phone plans for this phone will be available in Latin America and the Caribbean.

[via EngadgetMobile]