Predominance in the wireless market has become a top priority of almost every communications provider. As technology as a whole evolves to encourage digital streaming content over hard media, the missing piece of the profitability puzzle becomes allowing users to stay connected whenever they go at high speed. We’ve recently seen evidence of this with AT&T (Etilities Forum) expanding its wireless footprint and Cox Communications (Etilities Forum) purchasing wireless licenses.

Sprint (Etilities Forum) is also working hard on the same issue. It announced yesterday that in three days, on December 21st, it will start selling a dual 3G and 4G USB wireless modem. Although Sprint already rolled out a 4G network in Baltimore in September, it’s safe to say that the 4G capability is mostly for publicity, at least for now. Although many major cities now have 3G coverage, the rest of the country is still behind. It will be a while until 4G is a widely available network.

That being said, it is nice to know that if you are someone who tends to hold on to your hardware, the card may be a worthwhile investment provided that you stay with Sprint as your provider. Although the press release does not mention it, it is extremely likely that the USB stick will not work with other 3G providers. Additionally, the pricing model for it locks you in for a 2 year contract. And speaking of price, it is not cheap: $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and the already mentioned contract.

In short, while the concept of being able to stay connected on your laptop outside your home or office is compelling, you may be better off for now simply buying a comparably priced smartphone that lets you stay on top of e-mail and other basic tasks. As an added bonus, down the road your smartphone will likely have Tethering capability, and then you’ll have the best of both worlds.

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