In lieu of that, the carrier's advising users to transition now and take advantage of its myriad incentive programs while they last.

ENGADGET: Sprint plans $10 monthly charge for iDEN push-to-talk subs in the new year

As with any large-scale network initiative, implementation of this carrier-class Wi-Fi transition will take some time, but rest assured these issues are being addressed by the mobile operator community and at least one of their Wi-Fi suppliers.

FORBES: Wi-Fi's Task For 2011: Making Networks IPad-Friendly

In the longer term, however, China Mobile, which has over 600 million 2G subscribers currently, stands to gain heavily from this transition as handset makers bring out compatible smartphones and the carrier gradually rolls out a nation-wide LTE network.

FORBES: China Mobile Needs To Wake Up As 3G Growth Slows

Going forward, as smartphone makers increase their focus on China by bringing out more TD-SCDMA handsets and China Mobile launches its 4G LTE network, the carrier will be able to reap the advantages of having a huge 2G subscriber base to transition to 3G.

FORBES: China Mobile Needs To Wake Up As 3G Growth Slows

On Veterans Day 2011, before watching the University of North Carolina men's basketball team defeat Michigan State University onboard the USS Carl Vinson in the first-ever Carrier Classic, President Obama discussed the importance of doing right by our veterans by helping them get jobs once they transition back into civilian life.

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