Verizon Wireless has announced plans to roll-out a nationwide long term evolution (LTE) based 4G network, initially in two US cities and subsequently in 25 to 30 markets by 2010.
The company has selected Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent as primary network vendors for the initial LTE network deployment. It has also selected Starent Networks as a packet core vendor. Additionally, Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent will be key suppliers for the IP Multi-Media Subsystem (IMS) network.
The company plans to offer IMS-based IP converged applications and services on its wireless and landline broadband networks. The company and Vodafone have been field testing 4G LTE networks in Minneapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and northern New Jersey in the US, and Budapest, Dusseldorf, and Madrid in Europe. It said field trials had demonstrated download rates of 50 to 60 Mbps peak speeds.
Dick Lynch, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Verizon, said: LTE enables us to continue to meet business customer demands for a higher bandwidth, low latency service that works broadly in the US and globally, while meeting consumer demand for mobilizing the many applications they frequently use when tethered to high bandwidth wired networks.
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