Get ready for 4G folks, as Verizon said it is on schedule to roll out its next-generation mobile broadband network using Long-Term Evolution technology.
In an interview with Network World, Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said the company has been “pleasantly surprised” by the readiness of the infrastructure, and that deployment is “looking better each day, not worse each day.” He reiterated that Verizon will have commercial 4G services in up to 30 markets by the end of the year and it will follow an aggressive deployment schedule.
“Fifteen months after our initial launch we’re planning to double the number of markets that have LTE,” Melone said. “Then by the end of 2013 we’re going to have our entire current 3G footprint covered by 4G. So in other words, everywhere we have 3G coverage today we’ll have 4G coverage. And we’ll also have places where we don’t have 3G coverage today that we’ll have 4G.”
Melone said he is “bullish” that the ecosystem will be ready on day one, so we can look forward to some LTE handsets by the end of the year. Verizon will most likely won’t have voice over LTE until the network is built out fully, so expect many of its 4G devices to be dual-mode. He didn’t give exact speed expectations but look for up to 10 times more throughput and 80% less latency with the LTE network.
This is really cool stuff because we’re starting to see mobile broadband speeds that could change the we work and play. Sprint’s WiMax network is growing and I actually saw a 4G-only commercial on TV last night. AT&T is reportedly getting its act together with its 3G network and it should start deploying LTE in 2011. Even T-Mobile is pushing out HSPA+ later this year and that promises to deliver 21Mbps on the go.
[Via Network World]