A method in a portable electronic device (100) of authenticating enhanced wide area network data usage capabilities is provided. Data communication between the portable electronic device and a wide area network (104) is detected, along with commencement a dual-operating system hybrid environment (111). The dual-operating system hybrid environment can include a first operating system environment (114) operable to communicate with the wide area network at a restricted data rate and a second operating system environment (116) operable to communicate with the wide area network at either the restricted data rate or an enhanced data rate. A verification whether the portable electronic device is authorized to communicate with the wide area network at the enhanced data rate is then performed. Where true, the second operating system environment can be configured to communicate with the wide area network at the enhanced data rate.