Verizon Wireless Details its Current Plans for LTE

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At a press event today at CTIA, Verizon Wireless laid out its current progress and future timetable for the rollout of its LTE network. As expected, Verizon is working at a furious pace to get its 4G network off the ground. The wireless carrier confirmed that its first round of trials, conducted in Boston, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington, are coming to an end and, thus far, have been highly successful. The carrier revealed that it has achieved peak downloads of approximately 40Mbps with an average download of 5 to 12 Mbps and an average upload of  2 to 5 Mbps.

Following the completion of these two trial markets, Verizon Wireless expects to continue the deployment of their LTE network to additional test markets in what Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone called “friendly user trials” that are slated to start this summer. This next stage of trials is a necessary pre-cursor to an initial commercial launch which Verizon predicts will occur late in 2010 and will include approximately twenty five to thirty test markets.

By the end of 2010, Verizon expects to deploy LTE to these fortunate launch markets and Verizon’s 4G signal will cover an estimated one third of the US. Verizon expects to add to this initial footprint rapidly and anticipates doubling that coverage a mere 15 months later. By the end of 2013, Big Red’s 4G coverage will equal or even exceed its current 3G footprint.

Some will say that  a network is only as good as the devices that run on it and Verizon is preparing a suite of 4G devices to encourage customers to make the transition to LTE. Initially, the carrier will  launch 4G-enabled data-only devices like USB data sticks, aircards and MiFi-like hotspots. These 4G devices will be 3G compatible so you will maintain your data connection if you leave an area with LTE coverage. Expected to see these date-centric devices launch en masse starting early next year.

Judging by the excitement surrounding the launch of the WiMAX-enabled Sprint HTC EVO 4G at CTIA this week, the most anticipated LTE device launched by Verizon Wireless will be a smartphone, which, according to Melone, is expected to offer WiFi hotspot functionality similar to the EVO 4G and the Palm Pre Plus. Verizon is sticking with its original prediction and expects to launch its first LTE smartphone sometime in mid-2011.