Yes, Verizon still plans to roll out their LTE network in 2010. The only difference is in the specific timing. CEO Lowell McAdam expects his company to get the service up and running in some markets by the second half of the year, rather than early on. The long-term outlook for a nationwide build-out still remains at 2013 or 2014. Yet the a select few markets could see LTE sometime this year, as Verizon wants to set up a test market on the east coast, followed by one on the west coast. These will likely not be larger markets, since they don’t work as well in testing procedures.
One thing we see strewn throughout LTE articles is the defining of it as 4G technology. According to a recent Strand report, this is not the case. Because LTE operates on IMT-2000 just like 3G technology, it’s not really a generational upgrade. Instead, it tests the limit of the IMT-2000 platform. There is no new revelation, as when IMT-2000 provided a platform upgrade from 2G. So while journalists will call it 4G, keep in mind that it actually is not.
Still, LTE promises widespread coverage and the fastest mobile broadband speeds yet. This could create all sorts of opportunities for users. With WiMax by its side, LTE could be a major coup for the mobile workforce and consumers alike.
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