We've talked about Verizon's impending 4G deployment earlier. We've even broken down the schedule: 100 million Americans get LTE coverage by the end of the year, Verizon doubles the coverage by the start of 2012, and the entire LTE network replaces Verizon's current 3G network by 2013. Simple as that, right?
The website Intomobile has gotten its hands on some additional rollout details and, while they remain incomplete in terms of states and locations receiving coverage at any given point in the process, they're nevertheless a bit more information than the mere timeline. Here's what they've found out from their as-yet-unidentified Verizon contact.
Atlanta and Athens, Georgia will join the Texas cities of Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, and Weatherford for a full LTE rollout this year. As well, the eastern half of Massachusetts is scheduled to receive LTE coverage—other cities are obviously in the works in addition to those mentioned, but these are all that Intomobile was able to pry out of its source.
According to that very source, Verizon hopes to hit 115 to 120 million customers with LTE coverage this year—a bit more than the aforementioned 100 million as told to PCMag.com by Verizon's vice president of network operations, Tony Malone.
As for 2011, most universities and cities in Lousiana will be covered by Verizon's LTE network. Joining them will be a number of cities in Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia, including Oxford, South Haven, Huntsville, Birmingham, and Montgomery. Again, that's not the full listing of cities. But if Malone's statements to PCMag.com hold up, expect LTE coverage to double by the end of the year/beginning of 2012.
"In 2012, all major highways and interstates and all cities within an approximate radius of 30 miles from the interstates/highways will receive 4G. And in 2013, the entire 3G network as it exists today will be completely overlaid by Verizon's 4G or LTE network," reports Intomobile's Marc Flores.
Since Verizon's 700-MHz license covers the entire United States, the company will even be able to deploy LTE service to areas that aren't currently hit with the company's 3G network. Expected speeds for LTE service range from 5 to 12 megabits per second for downloads to around 2 to 5 megabits per second for uploads. Peak downloads should be able to hit speeds of 40 to 50 megabits per second.
As for the data plans themselves, recent comments by Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam suggest that the company will be looking toward shared data plans—and possibly moving away from monthly unlimited service—for all of a user's 4G-enabled devices.