This late-May/early-June continues to be the focal point of activity for wireless carriers and phone manufacturers alike. On the heels of big news for Sprint, big news for Verizon (with some bad news for Sprint), and potential big news from Apple and AT&T, the iPhone’s carrier announced to plans to begin network upgrades in anticipation of future high-speed technologies.

AT&T has officially announced both 3G upgrades and 4G rollouts over the course of the next two years. The company’s 3G improvements include adopting the HSPA 7.2 standard, which would effectively double current 3G speeds. As for 4G, AT&T plans to begin testing of their LTE network in 2010 with a consumer-level rollout in 2011.

The announcement comes as no surprise, particularly with Verizon introducing similar upgrade plans. AT&T no doubt wants to hold onto iPhone exclusivity as long as possible. Showing some initiative for higher speed access might keep the dogs at bay for now, but certainly not for long.