Aloha kcjohn,
As you're probably already aware, Sprint has already chosed WiMAX for their 4G network. The rest of the world, meaning the rest of the carriers in the US (to the best of my knowledge), as well as the rest of the world, has already chosen LTE, or Long Term Evolution, for their upcoming 4G networks. In other words, LTE will shortly become the global standard for 4G cell networks. Unless Sprint changes to LTE, you will have to switch carriers to get an iPhone.
As for the January Verizon iPhone rumors, those people are simply deluded, or listening to those people that so want one, they'll constantly repeat rumors with no legs in a vain attempt to "make it so". Apple will not release another iPhone in January, and most likely will not announce another iPhone then either. They've kept their product release cycle steady for the past three years, and a Verizon iPhone, while important to those who want it, is most certainly not enough to warrant a January announcement. On the flip side, why make a CDMA-specific iPhone for a company that is already working on LTE? In other words, why not wait until June 2011 or June 2012 to come out with the LTE version?
