An announcement coming from AT&T about their launch of 4G LTE networks in 5 cities across the United States prompted Verizon Wireless to announce another 19 cities they plan to add to their LTE network. AT&T said they were going to roll out their LTE network in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta by the end of 2011. Verizon said they will launch the LTE in 19 more cities including Hartford, Conn., Harrisburg, Pa., Madison, WI., Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Calif., Indianapolis, Ind., and Boise, Idaho to name a few. You can see the entire list posted on the Verizon Wireless website.
Sprint is also talking about launching a LTE and Clearwire WiMax 4G wireless network in major cities this year. T-Mobile is not going to be left out of this race either, they are launching their HSPA+ 4G network sometime in the next year, as well. Speeds on the LTE 4G networks will vary based on consumption, but the promotions that you see all over the place are claiming speeds up to 10MB/s. At that speed, you would be getting data at a rate of about 10 times faster than using a 3G wireless connection.
Verizon is claiming that “not all wireless networks are created equal” Verizon is taking a stand and hopes to be on the top when other companies roll their networks out. The network rolled out December of last year covering almost 40 markets the day it arrived. Since then, the coverage of the network has expanded to over 74 markets, most major metro areas and started to filter into college towns like Lansing, Michigan. Verizon Wireless has stated a goal of over 185 million Americans with 4G LTE coverage by the end of 2011 and right now they have surpassed the 110 million mark, so they should reach the goal without doubt by year’s end.
Other than Verizon’s success with the launch of the 4G LTE network, there hasn’t been much said of the competitors and where they stand. Each one, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T have all made statements regarding the launch of such networks, but since then, any action has seemingly come to a halt. So, while Verizon keeps on driving further into the distance with their network coverage, other companies are going to have to play catch up to even stay in the game.
