said by n2jtx :

Every other carrier is on the path to LTE and will at least be able to use comparable equipment. Sprint equipment will undoubtedly cost more because they will be a niche market and manufacturers will not have the benefit of efficiencies of scale (one reason why GSM phones tend to cost less because they are the de fact worldwide standard).

said by patcat88 :

Verizon has said their LTE phones will not have SIM card slots, and not support them. Have fun in carrier branded handset hell. ATT said their LTE will.

How much of a firmware vs physical electronics vs chipset difference this is, I dont know.