Verizon, which has arguably led the industry in terms of infrastructure but lagged in terms of debuting 4G phones, made a splashy announcement of new devices for the carrier’s 4G platform, called LTE. None of the new products have release dates beyond “sometime in 2011,” but the company did say it expects to end the year with high-speed mobile broadband in 175 markets.

Verizon vp networks Tony Melone said at a Thursday press conference that customers can “conservatively” expect download speeds of 5 to 12Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5Mbps from LTE (up to 10x faster than 3G).

The company didn’t ignore content, unwrapping a deal with Viacom’s Electronic Arts to bring the game “Rock Band” to its 4G mobile users. “It’s not just about apps, it’s about how deeply and seamlessly they’re integrated,” Verizon vp and chief operating officer Marni Walden said.

Verizon’s new phone offerings include the Android powered HTC Thunderbolt, one of the first phones to fully integrate Skype mobile with video calling (through one-touch calling). A 4.3-inch screen and 8 megapixel camera make the Thunderbolt multimedia-friendly. And as with the LG Revolution, also announced (see separate post), the Thunderbolt is an Android 2.2 device, capable of HD capture and playback, in this case 720p, and is DLNA-compatible.

The company also announced the first Samsung 4G LTE phone, which will take advantage of Samsung’s Media Hub content service, offering premium movies and TV shows. The Samsung Galaxy Tab was another new device on tap, with a 7-inch display and – a novelty among tablets – front and rear facing cameras for live video chat. Rounding out the Samsung offerings is a 4G mobile hotspot dongle.

Verizon also touted two notebook computers that will be able to take advantage of its 4G network: the HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr Notebook PC and the Compaq CQ10-688nr.