The End of CDMA? Verizon Wireless Announces LTE Network Plans
Verizon Wireless today announced plans to develop a 4G wireless network using LTE (Long Term Evolution), the 3GPP's 4G technology. Trials will begin in 2008.
CNET News' Tom Krazit notes that this is a major shift for Verizon. "Verizon Communications and Vodafone, joint owners of Verizon Wireless, plan to use the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard backed by GSM industry players rather than the UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband) standard backed by Verizon's current partners," he writes.
"The selection of LTE provides Verizon and Vodafone – joint owners of U.S.-based Verizon Wireless – with a unique opportunity to adopt a common access platform with true global scale and compatibility with existing technologies of both companies," according to a company statement.
And the larger implications? "The move by the two major carriers will boost a technology little known outside of telecommunications standards bodies," notes Red Herring's Cassimir Medford. "It could also provide a fresh blow to rival wireless broadband technology WiMax, and the kill shot for municipal Wi-Fi, which is already stumbling."
As well as, of course, something of a death blow to CDMA.
More here from Wired … more here from the WSJ … more here from IntoMobile … more here from Unstrung … more here from Electronista … more here from infoSync World … and the press release is here.
Cangel said:
May 05, 08 at 3:35 pmI have Verizon now. And if it is as great as you make it out to be I am looking forward to the upgrade.
James said:
Mar 12, 09 at 11:31 pmIf Verizon rolling out an enhanced technology is a threat to muni wi-fi, then presumably it also threatens the market for coffeeshops and similar establishments providing wi-fi for their customers.
No way I can see that happening. I have Verizon, and my wife and I are each locked into an aircard at $60 monthly. They worked just great in our old neighborhood, but where we moved to now, at the beginning of the year, they, and our phones, are an utter pile of pants. I know of just one coffeeshop where I can get decent performance with my aircard. Otherwise I either can’t get on at all, like at home, or I hang online by the skin of my fingernails and can only use pages/sites with the lowest possible demand. It’s about like being on dial-up in 1995. Bars? On my Samsung Alias I get two or three feeble ticks on the CDMA 1X meter. And AFAIK we’re stuck with my phone and the two aircards for about a year respectively.
The nerve of these people. The service drops drastically in its usefulness to us, but we’re stuck with them unless we want to pay nearly $300 in ETFs.