Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Verizon to launch 4G data network, USB modems

Verizon Wireless has finally coughed up some details on the upcoming, highly anticipated 4G network, with the support of naming the 38 largest cities - New York and Miami to San Francisco and Los Angeles - to get an early LTE coverage.

Total of 110 million users in North America - or one third of the United States - is surrounded by hedges when the Verizon 4G network goes live on December 1, Verizon executives promise that it will expand the footprint to include coverage 4G much greater 3G by 2013.

Expect data speeds up to 10 times faster than on Verizon's current 3G network, CTO Tony Melone promised during a conference call Tuesday. Downlink speeds between 5 and 12MBps should be "the norm," along with upload speeds in the 2-5MBps range, and latency rates that are about half as long as those on Verizon's existing 3G network, Melone said.

Among the cities on the list: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas,  Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix,  Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Verizon also has a pair of new USB modem ready 4G-ready by LG and Pantech UML290 VL600. Both cost $ 99, $ 50 after rebate and that the contracts of two years, the LG modem available for the day, even when the device enters the Pantech very soon after.

And what about other modems, or 4G LTE first smartphones and tablets? We'll have to wait a little more about them, according to Melone of Verizon, who added that several devices - including smartphones, we hope - will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and launched in mid- next year

Verizon is the latest major U.S. wireless carriers to move its 4G network. Sprint has about 68 cities covered with their 4G network based on WiMAX instead of LTE standard.