Verizon just announced its deployment plans for its 4G LTE network and as expected, it's a biggie. When the switch is thrown later this year, 38 metro areas will be covered. And on top of that, 62 airports will have service. The list is extensive and pretty damn exciting, unless you're not in the initial coverage areas. Smartphones and tablets will debut at CES in January (and you bet your bippy we'll be there).
Verizon's about to go into details at a press conference at CTIA, and we'll be listening in for any more details. Check out the press release and list of launch cities after the break.
BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Verizon underscored its rapid deployment of the world’s first large-scale 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network today from the CTIA Enterprise & Applications™ 2010 conference. Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon, detailed the company’s major network launch in 38 major metropolitan areas, covering more than 110 million Americans, by the end of the year. In addition, the company is launching 4G LTE in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast – both the airports within the launch areas plus airports in other key cities.
McAdam said, “We are driven by the vision to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband connectivity and mobility to rural and urban Americans alike. With our initial 4G LTE launch, we will immediately reach more than one-third of all Americans where they live, right from the start. And, we will quickly introduce 4G LTE throughout the Verizon coverage area.”
McAdam highlighted the metropolitan areas for the initial launch, which include:
- Large sections of the Northeast Corridor, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. as well as Rochester, New York
- Throughout Miami and south Florida, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and New Orleans as well as Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee
- Chicagoland, St. Louis, the Twin Cities, Pittsburgh and major cities in Ohio
- Major population centers in California as well as Seattle, Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas
(A list of all metropolitan areas and airports is located at the end of the news release.)
Verizon Wireless is building its 4G LTE network with the same commitment to performance and reliability for which it has long been recognized. Verizon Wireless’ laser focus on reliability is based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined deployment approach year after year.
Enterprise users, businesses and individuals can immediately benefit from Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network this year. While Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network promises much more than speed, the first application gives employees the ability to work at significantly faster speeds and improved latency, increasing productivity and the opportunity to get work done where their business takes them.
McAdam continued, “Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network will also be available in the commercial airports in the 38 metropolitan areas, plus we’re launching airports in other key cities coast to coast, giving road warriors added coverage when they travel. Every time we’ve built a next generation network, our customers have seen real benefits to their bottom lines. Taking advantage of the first large-scale LTE network on the globe gives our customers a competitive advantage.”
Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE rollout positions the company to be the global leader in 4G LTE deployment. Verizon Wireless expects 4G LTE average data rates to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world, loaded network environments. These speeds are significantly faster than Verizon Wireless and other wireless providers’ current or promised 3G network speeds.
By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage. The company is currently installing LTE equipment at existing cell sites and switching centers around the United States as part of its extensive, ongoing investment in its voice and data network infrastructure.
In addition to the 38 major metropolitan areas, Verizon Wireless is launching its 4G LTE network in West Lafayette, Ind., home of Purdue University. The public university is using several innovative software applications on Verizon Wireless’ 3G network that improve student engagement and success, and Verizon Wireless is working with Purdue to explore the next phase of how 4G LTE technology can improve e-learning across the nation.
Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Major Metropolitan Area Deployment
Akron, Ohio
Athens, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Houston, Texas
Jacksonville, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York, New York
Oakland, California
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rochester, New York
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
San Francisco, California
San Jose, Califo rnia
Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
St. Louis, Missouri
Tampa, Florida
Washington, D.C.
West Lafayette, Indiana
West Palm Beach, Florida
Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Commercial Airport Deployment (Airport Name, City, State)
Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin, Texas
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal, Glen Burnie, Maryland
Bob Hope, Burbank, California
Boeing Field/King County International, Seattle, Washington
Charlotte/Douglas International, Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago Midway International, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago O’Hare International, Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington, Kentucky
Cleveland-Hopkins International, Cleveland, Ohio
Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas
Dallas/Fort Worth International, Fort Worth, Texas
Denver International, Denver, Colorado
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Fort Lauderdale, Florida!
G eorge Bush Intercontinental/Houston, Houston, Texas
Greater Rochester International, Rochester, New York
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Atlanta, Georgia
Honolulu International, Honolulu, Hawaii
Jacksonville International, Jacksonville, Florida
John F. Kennedy International, New York, New York
John Wayne Airport-Orange County, Santa Ana, California
Kansas City International, Kansas City, Missouri
La Guardia, New York, New York
Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis, Missouri
Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts
Long Beach/Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, California
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Metairie, Louisiana
McCarran International, Las Vegas, Nevada
Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee
Metropolitan Oakland International, Oakland, California
Miami International, Miami, Florida
Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-
Nashville International, Nashville, Tennessee
New Castle, Wilmington, North Carolina
Newark Liberty International, Newark, New Jersey
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, San Jose, California
North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Orlando International, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Sanford International, Sanford, Florida
Palm Beach International, West Palm Beach, Florida
Philadelphia International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Mesa, Arizona
Pittsburgh International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Port Columbus International, Columbus, Ohio
Portland International, Portland, Oregon
Rickenbacker International, Columbus, Ohio
Ronald Reagan Washington National, Arlington, Virginia
Sacramento International, Sacramento, California
Salt La ke City International, Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antoni! o Intern ational, San Antonio, Texas
San Diego International, San Diego, California
San Francisco International, San Francisco, California
Seattle-Tacoma International, Seattle, Washington
St. Augustine, Saint Augustine, Florida
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Clearwater, Florida
Tampa International, Tampa, Florida
Teterboro, Teterboro, New Jersey
Trenton Mercer, Trenton, New Jersey
Washington Dulles International, Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C.
Will Rogers World, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
William P. Hobby, Houston, Texas
Reader comments
Verizon announces its LTE markets -- 38 metro areas by the end of the year
Oh. No Milwaukee, WI... disappointing... Even T-Mobile has 4G here...
They give Purdue 4g Coverage but the finger to Indianapolis too.
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I think the whole LTE vs wimax debate is going to benefit the consumer. I really do. I'm super excited for LTE to come to my area, and I hope that I get to keep my unlimited data plan. If they do then I'm going to be super happy.
Anybody heard anything about Best Buy getting ready for the new Verizon LTE phones? Droid-Life posted this: http://www.droid-life.com/2010/09/17/best-buy-expecting-verizon-lte-devi... back in the fall. Kinda exciting, as I was gonna get a Droid X in a few weeks. Might wait and see if anything cool gets announced first.
Epic Sadness. They give Purdue 4g Coverage but the finger to Indianapolis.
Must be all that slave/student driven electrical engineering research into LTE that Purdue did to give them the golden ticket.
No Detroit love? I am sad.
Big Red: The best gets even better, putting more distance between itself and the competition!
I've been saving one upgrade line for this moment....I plan on getting the very first high-end Android device they put out with 4G/LTE...hopefully it's an HTC or Samsung!
I told you that Miami would be one of the first to get it!!!!Take that Sprint /WiMax...Still hasn't reached here...BTW,I will be upgrading on the 13th for either a Droid X or a 4g smartphone
That map is *EXTREMELY* misleading if you don't look at it carefully. All the red color is just the old/existing 3G coverage (which is also all Sprint 3G coverage, by the way), not LTE. The LTE can't even be seen, but is supposedly a tiny area around each selected city dot.
I guess what really matters is how large those dots are. I live in Colorado in a metro area near Denver. Denver itself is small, so I wonder how far the 4G will reach into the surrounding cities.
How is it they are misleading you by saying there are 38 markets, and then show the map with the big red 3G blob... obviously that covers more than 38 markets. The only way that map is misleading is if you refuse to even glance at it for more than 2 seconds. Put on your big boy pants read...
Or people could use that little thing in the bottom right hand corner of the image that they use to teach about in school geography...what was that...oh yeah...a legend/key. :)
West Palm Beach!! Woot Woot!!
For those speaking about Sprint and wimax: The $10 charge IS NOT for 4G. It is a premium data charge for the devices that use more data. It just so happens that the only two phones Sprint has that have 1GH processors, video chat, and large screens, have 4G on board as well. As we know, 3G actually uses more data and bandwidth than 4G.
Sprint DOES NOT pay licensing fees to, or lease Wimax from Clear. Sprint owns 54% of Clear, which takes care of that.
Are they waiting until the Lions don't suck (when hell freezes over) to consider us (Detroit) a real NFL city?
Hmm, LTE by then end of the year, various rumors of iPhone on VZW after the first of the year, hmm..... co-inky-dink?
Who knows. Personally...I feel iPhone is old-hat. It hasn't changed in 4(?) years. Sure, the body is slimmer, but overall it's the same OS and same functionality, same overall device as the first generation. I am more excited for future LTE Android devices, especially with slick interfaces like Sense UI from HTC.
Doesn't matter that it hasn't changed. If Apple comes out with a CDMA+LTE iPhone they will sell every one they can make.
Anyone else notice that several NFL cities are missing from this map? KC, Detroit, Buffalo, Green Bay, Indy, what happened to them?
Wasn't that whole "NFL markets" thing just speculation?
Sorry Phil looks like Verizon forgot about Pensacola, Fl. I was told that the usb sticks are suppose to come out in Nov..is that true? I can't wait for it here in Tampa
Will it cost more $$$?
That's a good question. Sprint is requiring an extra $10 feature for their 4G phones. This is because they're licensing WiMax from the local provider of that service.
Seeing how LTE can possibly replace CDMA, there may be an extra charge for the first 2-3 years. Then once all handsets have been replaced with LTE devices, the feature fee will probably be merged into a data/mobile web add-on. This is all purely speculation though.
Being that the LTE network is implemented and owned by VZW, I don't see why they would charge extra $$ just to access the service. They are not leasing it like Wi-Max. There was no added charge for 3G, was there? Obviously data packages will be more (or just limited), but that's probably the extent of it.
Well, wait and see. I would be very surprised if Verizon didn't charge more.
I thought that when Verizon and other networks first came out with 3G, they had tiered data plans to begin with.
ye$$$
I planned on waiting till the lte launch anyway to get a new phone. No point in blowing my money on another 3g phone when 4g is right around the corner. Plus I get an upgrade I February.
don't matter to me. My little pooptown will be haulin up the rear just like it did with the 3G rollout..
By phones "debuting" at CES, I'm guessing that means announced? Any idea when we might expect them to hit the market?
Your guess is as good as anyone else's. We can't be sure when an announced device will launch until inventory data is leaked. That's usually when you can start anticipating a launch within 3 months at the most.
Just stay tuned to your favorite station (Android Central), and we'll all find out soon!
Traditionally devices announced at CES (January) tend to get released spring or summer of that year. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere in an interview with VZW CEO hinting at devices coming out during that time frame.
EDIT:
Here's a post stating First Half of 2011 (so by June) and this year for non-phone devices.
http://zmarter.com/phone-s-news/verizon-announces-lte-device-timetable.html
Uh
How many LTE phones do they have? Oh wait, none.
Why does that matter so early in the game. I want a solid network and then a solid device!
Ditto. Verizon is playing it smart and building the infrastructure first. Besides, I'm sure they have some LTE devices in development. Just because no LTE handsets have been leaked doesn't mean someone is working on one.
BTW, Nashville FTW!
Already know that RIM is working on LTE because they announced they are working on an LTE Playbook. I assure you that HTC, LG, and Motorola have been chomping away at LTE for months now. We will probably start to see announcements and/or leaks closer to the holidays as CES draws nearer.
Maybe bc the network has not launched yet?
Everybody SHHH SHHH...Listen! LTE has already been deployed in other parts of the world. The VZW CTO has been spotted with and a LTE Android phone. Using past history as a reference point Apple will probably not be LTE. Remember the first iPhone was "2.5G" when many other handsets, RIM and WinMob were on 3G. Long Live the Droids!!
Woo Hoo ! Charlotte, made the cut too , lol
AT&T: That smoke you smell is your Butt getting burned.
Time to step up your game.
On the other hand, any Verizon Customers thinking about a new phone NOW just got a big incentive to wait....
I've always wondered about that. I was eligible for an AT&T upgrade a few months before the Torch came out but ended up holding off until it was released since it looked so cool. Shame it was kind of disappointing.
I'd love to see sales figures for various providers immediately following this kind of announcement. I wonder if there's a sales dip for all the people who were going to get a new phone in the next week or two but then see the announcement and think "I could wait a few more months for that..."
For the average consumer, the LTE announcement isn't a big deal. Most of the hardcore mobile users will wait to see what happens. These will most likely be road warriors that need higher speeds when travelling and us smartphone geeks that always want the latest and the greatest. :-P
Most mobile users will wait.
Most hardcore mobile users WONT wait.
The speed difference for LTE is astounding. First guy with a handset in these markets is the big winner. And its likely to be Apple and RIM once again.
Are you implying that either Apple OR RIM were the first to include 3G?
Apple's brainwashing really does work well.
AT&T deserves to burn. Ironically, their network is the one that desperately needs a boost right now due to all those iPhones desperately trying (and failing) to stream episodes of Oprah and spamming of FB updates by teens who can't decide on their nail color. As usual, they've been lapped.
Meanwhile, I'm glad I got my Droid X at launch to reap its full benefits (on 3G) for as long as possible. By the time the next generation of LTE Droids are out and the network is deployed in my area, I'll be ready for a new device (~6-12 mo from now).
Bravo Big Red.
Right.
Not only does Big Red steal a march on AT&T, but over on TiPb they are talking up the fact that the Analysts report Apple starting a production run of CDMA phones.
My money would be on those being CDMA/LTE and Apple will once again be the firstest with the mostest in the LTE handset arena.
OTOH, Won't AT&T's network be screaming fast once all those iPhones migrate away. ;-)
Knowing Apple, I do not think they'd be first in the LTE space. In-fact I think they'd be the last. Apple purposely releases handsets with lesser features so that they can release incremental updates purporting them to be "next gen". I'm only going by their History. Unless you have access to Steve's personal diary where he discloses every single detail of the CDMA iPhone, I would think your statement is just a reflection of some wishful thinking.
No offense meant, just don't think its going to happen. 2012 might be the year iPhone comes with LTE.
Denver and D.I.A. Getting Some Love Bay Bay!!
And all new LTE phones be will be Binged for your surfing pleasure :p
Oh yea!!! We got it in New Orleans!!!....wait, I'm stuck on AT&T......NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Philly in the house!