Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile-phone carrier, will start selling Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy Tab tablet computer next month, introducing one of the first competitors to Apple Inc.’s iPad in the U.S.

The 7-inch touch-screen computer will be available on Nov. 11 for $599.99, Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based Verizon Wireless said in a statement today. The Galaxy Tab runs Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

Verizon is expanding beyond mobile phones to add sales from other devices and to increase revenue from data plans that let those connect to the Internet. The data plans for the Galaxy Tab will start at $20 a month for 1 gigabyte of usage.

The carrier has also said it will start selling the iPad on Oct. 28, offering it for as little as $629.99 combined with a portable Wi-Fi device to connect to the Internet. The Galaxy Tab can access the Web by connecting directly to Verizon’s mobile- phone network, without a separate device.

AT&T Inc., the second-largest U.S. mobile carrier, and smaller rivals Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. have said they will also sell the Galaxy Tab.

Mark Siegel, an AT&T spokesman, said in an e-mail that the carrier’s pricing and release date for the Galaxy Tab weren’t yet available. Scott Sloat, a Sprint spokesman, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. Reid Walker, a T-Mobile USA spokesman in Bellevue, Washington, wasn’t available for comment prior to regular business hours.

Electronics makers are trying to emulate the success of the iPad, after 4.19 million of the devices were sold last quarter. Dell Inc., Research In Motion Ltd. and Motorola Inc. have all announced plans to release a tablet, which generally are lighter than laptops and provide a larger screen for videos and games than mobile phones.

Verizon Communications Inc., which co-owns Verizon Wireless with Vodafone Group Plc, rose 30 cents to $32.46 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 10:03 a.m. The stock had gained 3.9 percent this year before today. Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, rose 4,000 won to 745,000 won in Seoul trading.

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(Source: Bloomberg News)