12/07/2009
Unstrung
A Verizon Wireless Website on its upcoming Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network appears to reveal data speed details, but a spokesman for the operator says that it is not yet giving a date for the launch.
As of press time, the LTE Website says that Verizon will launch the network in 2010. Verizon spokesman Jeffery Nelson says that the operator is giving “no date” beyond that for a launch yet.
The site also notes that “LTE will be supporting average data rates per user of 5 to 12 Mbit/s in the forward link, and 2 to 5 Mbit/s in the reverse link.” Nelson, however, says those numbers are “theoretical” at the moment.
Earlier this week, the site had said that the operator would launch the network in mid to late 2010. This led Unstrung blogger Paul Kapustka to suggest on his Sidecut Reports site that the operator was possibly pulling back on its original LTE launch plans.
Not so, says Nelson in an an email reply to questions from Unstrung. “We’ve never messaged what part of 2010 (so maybe somebody assumes it’s by the end of 2010),” he writes.
The LTE speeds posted suggest that the technology is faster than average 3G networks and a bit speedier than the rival mobile WiMax services. Clearwire is claiming maximum speeds exceeding 10 Mbit/s, with average speeds between 2 Mbit/s and 6 Mbit/s for its WiMax network.
Naturally, the “theoretical” LTE speeds fall far below what early testing suggested. There had been reports of between 50- and 60-Mbit/s downloads with the technology in initial tests. Early testing, however, generally takes place in ideal conditions, and the numbers always fall when the technology hits the real world. (See WiMax & LTE Meet the Real World.)
