Remember when we heard that Verizon Wireless just might be able to bump its
commercial LTE rollout to the
first quarter of 2010? Man, talk about having our hopes and dreams dashed. Here at
CTIA, we heard a few details on the company's most up-to-date deployment plans, and it sounds like things are pretty well locked into place at this point. Tony Melone, the company's Senior Vice President and CTO, seemed remarkably enthused that a bona fide
LTE network would be launching "in the not too distant future," and when pressed for specifics, he stated that they would launch "25 to 30 networks this year, covering one third of America by the end of 2010." Beyond that, we're looking at a footprint twice that size "15 months" after the initial rollout, and by the end of 2013, the company's 4G coverage map will be the same size, "if not larger," than its existing 3G map. Of course, the carrier insisted that they wouldn't be abandoning 3G advancement while being fixated on 4G, noting that it was moving "fast and aggressively" on both fronts, with hopes that its LTE network would eventually eclipse even the 3G networks (in terms of coverage size) of competitors. Them's bold words, VZW, and we'll be carefully watching to see if that really does come to fruition.
posted March 24th 2010 3:54PM
Hmmm i wonder how's AT&T progressing on their 4G rollout?
@ashleythehottiest
The better question is how is ATT's 3G network going?
@schmidt1985
nowhere, unfortunately.
@ashleythehottiest - The better statement is this:
"they wouldn't be abandoning 3G advancement while being fixated on 4G".
What 3G advancement? CDMA with its pseudo 3G IS GARBAGE! GOOD RIDDANCE! Now Focus on bring Sick, sick (SICK) phones like that Damn Sprint EVO to market when the LTE is ready. LL-4G!!
Oh, I got a question: Does WiMAX use SIM cards?
Anyone know?
Sprint's Evo was announced, Now, They are working their ass off to provide 4G to as much people as posible. If it's not for the Evo, These fools are still on their asses fighting about who's got the better 3G.
@schmidt1985
Seriously...
As long as they've got the iPhone and mass consumer idiocy, they can sit back and let their network crumble.
@Frankenstein Black No, it doesn't. WiMAX uses activation methods similar to CDMA with the Electronic Serial Number. And, unless CDMA uses some sort of "virtual" SIM for "World Phones," it appears that the Evo might not be a world phone, as it does not have a slot for a SIM card.
@Frankenstein Black
wimax is wifi but at a different frequency...it's 802.11e on the 2.5gmhz spectrum rather than 802.11b,g,n on the 2.4ghz spectrum. so no...no SIM cards.
@ashleythehottiest yeah seriously. it would be pretty pathetic if they are the only network that doesnt announce something on network upgrades.
@ashleythehottiest that picture, makes me remisnisce the att v verizon bout (ala luke wilson) style. Anyway, i'll prefer verizon over it, basing on this report. http://bit.ly/att-last-carrier-survey
Uh oh, double post. Darren, you're fired.
@dsilvers
it wasn't a dp... you fail!
I just noticed that dp also stands for double penetration... that's why I got all of those awkward stares!
@Brent1700
It also could stand for donkey punch.
@triplexcoast
or "Dude-Pal" cause you're my dude, pal
-Master Shake
These almost identical lead photos are giving me deja vu.
If they haven't started deployment yet, how is VZ going to get the money and manpower needed to deploy 25-30 networks inside of 8 months?!
The entire WiMax buildout is costing $5+ billion. LTE hardware is much more expensive right now.
VZ has also done nothing but delay their roll outs. They can talk big but when it comes time to actually meet a deadline, LTE is nowhere to be found.
I'm going to call VZ out on this one. If you reach 90 million people by the end of 2010, I won't buy the HTC EVO 4G.
@Matt da Brat
Judging by the amount of money they've put in FiOS, I don't think the money for LTE deployment is a issue.
@m3nphls
To clear up a common misconception...
Verizon and Verizon Wireless are two separate companies. Verizon owns 50% of Verizon Wireless, Vodaphone own the other 50%. What one does has some but not much to do with what the other does.
Verizon Wireless is rolling in money, they will have no problem meeting their LTE deadlines. They have the doe and the know how to pull something of this scale off in a short period of time.
Verizon (land line) is the one who's broke, they took a big gamble on FiOS. Hopefully for them it will pay off. Not like they had much choice, the future of land line DLS internet & phone service is, well bleak. The only reason Verizon could even afford to setup the FiOS network was from the MASSIVE profits they pull in from Verizon Wireless. It's their golden goose, and is why they keep trying to buy the other 50% back off of Vodaphone...
@Matt da Brat
Verizon Wireless has the money because they rip you off hard core. I live in southern nebraska and my town barely has enough service to send a text half the time, and verizon is the big dog around here.. pretty much only thing available but its so expensive. I could get the same type of plan from sprint 20 to 30 dollars cheaper a month if they were in my area.
I will also add that I was an alltel and I thought they were bad, I would love to have their prices back!
@vmod32 How do you buy something back which you never had ?
Verizon never had 100 % ownership of Cellco (thats the real name of the partnership with Vodafone; Verizon Wireless is there DBA name)
@Matt da Brat A lot of the infrastructure is already there - it just hasn't been switched on yet.
I liked the difference between the picture of this post and the one from "Verizon talks commercial..."
*looking forth* looking to the side* looking forth*
double post picture much lol
Next post about Verizon better have a picture of a HTC Incredible or a DATE for the Droid 2.1 update, or I'm gonna lose it!
@ECH
seriously. I appreciate verizons commitment to network, but the phone selection is just embarrassing.
@GeauxTiger
With the Droid, Incredible, and N1 they will have a rather impressive Android line up.
@GeauxTiger
that's something that was true early last year, dude.
there are lots of choices now, so what the heck are u referring to??
Does that mean 2/3 of the US by the end of 2011? Or just 1/2?
So which company is better? AT&T or Verizon? I like GSM phones but I want the best for myself. Please tell me because I hate the hassle of cdma although I have never used it. Is it worth having a smartphone? I have a "dumbphone" (worst phone in history samsung impression). I use at&t so tell me! And will lte be gsm?
@Mike Vick LTE is gsm. Verizon is going to gsm because CDMA is a dead end.
@Jdubcsu Common misconception about CDMA and GSM. Technically "GSM" encompasses a family of radio technologies, one of which is actually CDMA. Hence the ability to talk and surf at the same time - TDMA for voice (which, by the way, is a rather antiquated technology) and CDMA for data. LTE, on the other hand, uses a whole new radio technology. This certainly does not mean Verizon phones are going to be "GSM" phones at that point.
See WiMax's wikipedia page for a good table comparing the technologies.
@markjh
You are wrong about TDMA for voice and CDMA for data.
GSM 2G (GSM) is 100% TDMA
GSM 3G (UMTS) is 100% W-CDMA
GSM 2G only supports either voice or data
UMTS supports simultaneous voice and data
@markjh When someone says GSM these days, they are mainly talking about the 3gpp family of technologies that includes "GSM", UMTS, HSPA, and LTE.
@Mike Vick
A better question is:
If I buy an unlocked LTE device and want to use it with my VZW service, can I?
Or is VZW going to be full of shit and only allow devices that they sell to connect, thus forcing those of us who don't like to be screwed -that hard- to stick with AT&T / T-Mobile?
@Peter F
Nonethless, when someone says CDMA is an old technology and is dead, that's a bit of a misconception.
Maybe Verizon plans to roll out another unimpressive RIM product to conincide with 4G. Exciting!
@GeauxTiger RIM? Don't they make feature phones?
@GeauxTiger
IF u despise verizon so much go to AT&T, T-Mo, or Sprint and STFU.
Those four guys sitting coudn't look less interested.
@Maeztro
You should see the look on my face >:-|
I don't know why you sound so disappointed Engadget. A third of the country covered in 4G coverage by the end of 2010?
That sounds rather impressive to me.
@Prevacator
Talk... Talk... Talk...
Dejavu
@aolke123
What did you see exactly ... was it something similar or the exact same thing ....
*Checks for agents*
Hmmm this picture look familiar
that looks like my high school
all I want to know is how fast will it REALLY be, how much will it cost, and when is it coming to my neck of the woods. Oh, and how much for a 4G MiFi unit to replace my current MiFi? That's "all" I wanna know. :)
How fast is this. My ATT 3G per iphone speedtest is 4.4Mbs downstream and (a paltry) 200 kbps upstream. My VZW friends standing in the same spot get 700K down and 100-150 up. We do this everywhere and sometimes I get 2Mdown and 100Kup and they get 1.4M up and 200down. We are geeks.
Anyway my point being that if Verizon's 4G is only as fast as my 3G what's the GD point?!
@spodee Verizon's LTE tests have gotten around 5-12Mbps average download speeds with peaks up to 50Mbps.