LTE Markets/Rollout Official Discussion

[CellKrazeDude]

Dallas, Vegas and Miami are also getting it this year I think I heard. Chi and Vegas are sure to get it more then likely, too.

[Dubspoon]

No carriers own all their towers and Sprint outsourced maintenance not the network. LTE is a world standard in thought but there's only one live market in another country.

[Dubspoon]

I work for VZW and I've been told from higher ups. It's coming to Phoenix before years end whether you like it or not.

So this higher up is giving a heads up to a store rep instead of building momentum by telling news outlets? I'm not in the like or dislike crowd, this next phase needs all the competition to keep prices down but vzw subs won't have that benefit. Other than Phoenix all the markets you all mention will be last to the 4G party with less devices and more expensive capped plans

[brad76]

Yep. We all know how big red likes to charge a premium for their (usually premium) service, so I don't see anything good coming from them having an exclusive on a large 4g footprint. Sure Sprint has WiMax, but their likely going to be blown off the map once vzw gets LTE cranking.

I'd really like to see AT&T step it up, so that vzw can't charge ridiculous sums for their new network. That being said, new networks don't come cheap!

[Dubspoon]

All the "LTE will blow WiMax out the water" talk is really premature, all the speculative markets have an unlimited WiMax pressence already. There is plenty of room for WiMax now and will be for the next couple years.

[CellKrazeDude]

I'd really like to see AT&T step it up, so that vzw can't charge ridiculous sums for their new network. That being said, new networks don't come cheap!

They already said it wasn't going to be a lot of money. They said it would be 1/3 or so the price of 3G now. You go by how much you use. Someone who uses 500 MB per month shouldn't pay 30.00 for data.

[CellKrazeDude]

All the "LTE will blow WiMax out the water" talk is really premature, all the speculative markets have an unlimited WiMax pressence already. There is plenty of room for WiMax now and will be for the next couple years.

WiMax speeds have not been anything to brag about. I have seen faster out of T-Mobile 3G HSDPA+.

[XFF]

I'd really like to see AT&T step it up, so that vzw can't charge ridiculous sums for their new network. That being said, new networks don't come cheap!

AT&T (as well as T-Mobile) are taking the sensible approach for now by cranking up their existing 3G network to HSDPA cat 14 (running at 21.1 Mbps). That's probably faster than the so-called 4G networks VZW and Sprint are putting up and should keep people satisfied for at least a couple of years, until LTE is a little more firmed up and makes sense to roll out on a large scale. Of course, VZW doesn't have that luxury, so they have to deploy LTE now and learn the hard way.

[Stratusguitar]

I'm guessing charlotte NC will get it also at launch. Charlotte is a major banking center and one of the largest cities in the SE. Also Raleigh Durham as well which has a lot of different schools and alot of tech companies.

[Justin5117]

Im shocked Philadelphia isn't in there.

[vzwinagent]

Don't be shocked if it isn't full cities. At our yearly kick off meeting the network team told us Indiana will get LTE in the Indy airport area and in Lafayette near Purdue. It sounds like they are focusing on venues with travel and population.

[Dubspoon]

XFF, I don't see what's wrong with the Verizon or Sprint's approach. Both were on the migration path to EVDV with Qualcomm until Sprint jumped ahead WiMax before most carriers then Verizon decided to go with an emerging standard that wasn't ready but world standard. LTE is experiencing the same growing pains as WiMax while not having the advantage of the base the latters has, the way it's going now there won't be a clearcut winner for any platform for a couple years

[Dnicekid]

XFF, I don't see what's wrong with the Verizon or Sprint's approach. Both were on the migration path to EVDV with Qualcomm until Sprint jumped ahead WiMax before most carriers then Verizon decided to go with an emerging standard that wasn't ready but world standard. LTE is experiencing the same growing pains as WiMax while not having the advantage of the base the latters has, the way it's going now there won't be a clearcut winner for any platform for a couple years

i think both companies will win... sprint hasnt decided what they are gonna do with "their" side of the network... lte or wimax.. clear is going to do both... I think if anyone has an advantage it may sprint.. because of flexibility.... they can go lte, and clear can go lte for phone and data then still have the others using wimax (cable companies etc. etc) but we know verizon will stick with lte.. and make it work.. so i dont see how anyone loses... as far as the other companies go, they are just upgrading their 3g which is good and for now just as if not faster... but once the "new" networks get cranking i think they will be faster and cost less while being faster,,, even if its barely faster sprint and verizon will be saving so hopefully they will invest that into more coverage for 4g

[Dubspoon]

I still would like to know where the supposed markets are coming from because not one higher up has publicly stated anything other than Boston or Seattle

[CellKrazeDude]

I was talking to my upper head manager for the market I am in, and she showed my the "blue print" you could say Verizon has set up. Hope this helps!

2010: Atlanta-Athens, GA will see 4G this year. Dallas-Denton-FTW-Weatherford, TX this year, Most of east Massachusetts will also see 4G. This is just 3 markets, too. 30 will be released this year. It will cover around 115ish million people this year.

Next year 2011: ALL University and most colleges and large cities. This is what I have for the southest.

Louisiana: (Shreveport, LA; Bossier City, LA; Monroe, LA; Alexandria, LA; Natchitoches, LA; Baton Rouge, LA; New Orleans area, LA; Lake Charles, LA; Lafayette, LA)
Mississippi: (Oxofrd, Jackson, Tupelo, Olive Branch, South Haven, Vicksburg, Hattiesburg, Columbus, Starkville, Meridian, Biloxi) Alabama: (Huntsville, Florence/Shoals, Birmingham, Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Dothan/Enterprise, Mobile, Troy, Columbus). This also includes new markets like Morgantown, WV.

That should give everyone a "Feeling" on how Verizon is going to launch 4G.

2012: All major highways and interstates and all cities with a 30ish radius off the interstates/highways will receive 4G.

2013: wrap up with the very very rural areas.