According to an article over on the WSJ, Verizon will gain their first 4G mobile phone near the middle of 2011, which is roughly 6 months earlier than what Verizon had previously stated.

The chief technology officer for Verizon Wireless, Anthony Malone, said in an interview that the Big Red could have a handset which runs on LTE 3 to 6 months after they launch the service, and the expected launch of Verizon 4G service is by the end of this year in some markets.

Furthermore, apparently the first LTE mobile phones will sport dual chipsets so they can operate on both Verizon’s existing 3G network and their new 4G network.

Verizon rival in 4G offers WiMAX technology in some markets with Clearwire Corp, but so far Sprint hasn’t come up with a 4G phone, but has said they expect to have a WiMAX phone available sometime this summer.