Verizon Wireless Announces 3G Wireless Broadband Expansion

[Mobile Mike]

Found this article. Might be of interest to Verizon Wireless NYC area customers.

ORANGEBURG, N.Y., June 24, 2005 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Continuing to build on its strategy to provide its customers superior wireless services in the United States, Verizon Wireless today expanded its Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) third generation (3G) wide-area network in the New York metropolitan area. Verizon Wireless' 3G EV-DO network enables V CAST -- the nation's first wireless broadband multimedia service for consumers -- and BroadbandAccess, the fastest wide-area wireless Internet access service available in the nation.

In New York City, Verizon Wireless' V CAST and BroadbandAccess services now are available to more residents of Brooklyn and Queens. The services were launched in Manhattan, portions of Queens and Brooklyn, and at LaGuardia and JFK International Airports earlier this year.

On Long Island, the high speed data network now is available to residents and summer vacationers along the entire southern shore and in portions of the north shore including Port Jefferson and Centerport.

North of the City, V CAST and BroadbandAccess services now are available in southern Rockland County including Nyack and Pearl River, and in southern and central portions of Westchester County including White Plains.

In New Jersey, the service now extends south along the Jersey Shore to the Ocean County border, west into Morris and Somerset counties, and north to Alpine in Bergen County. Businesses and consumers in large portions of northeastern New Jersey including Essex, Hudson and Union counties and at Newark Liberty International Airport have enjoyed V CAST and BroadbandAccess services for more than six months.

"The expansion of our high-speed wireless broadband network in New York City, Long Island and in the northern suburbs provides Verizon Wireless customers with the latest and greatest in mobile wireless technology just in time for summer activities," said Charles Hand, New York Metro regional president for Verizon Wireless. "With V CAST, consumers can access the latest in multimedia programming to stay connected, informed and entertained via their wireless phones wherever they travel, and BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers full access to their corporate information, just as if they were attached via a high-speed wired connection."

During the first quarter of this year, Verizon Wireless already has invested $138 million in network enhancements in the New York Metro area. In 2004, the company invested a total of $475 million in its New York Metro network.

V CAST

Verizon Wireless' V CAST service enables consumers to access short video content on-demand, viewing current news, weather, sports and entertainment programming. With V CAST, customers can also download and play cutting-edge 3D games, watch music videos and concert performances from favorite artists, view short programs specifically designed for mobile phones and other video content right on their phones. For a list of all videos and 3D game entertainment available on V CAST, visit http://www.getvcast.com.

For $15.00 monthly access added to their Verizon Wireless calling plan, customers in the New York Metro area can get the V CAST VPak which includes unlimited access to a wide array of more than 300 daily updated video clips from leading news, sports, weather and entertainment content providers. Unlimited basic short content is included, but application download fees apply for 3D games, premium video short content, and all other Get It Now(R) applications. There are no airtime charges to download, stream or watch V CAST content. Customers also can download, stream or watch premium short video content, available at additional cost, which includes video such as music videos, select sports clips and mobisodes. Verizon Wireless V CAST customers also receive monthly access and unlimited browsing on Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0(SM) news and information service. For a limited time, customers who sign up for V CAST receive two months of service free.

BroadbandAccess

The company's highly-touted BroadbandAccess service, available to mobile professionals and enterprise customers, allows New York Metro area customers to connect wirelessly to Internet via their laptop at broadband speeds, a convenient way to conduct business. Faster than any competing widely available wide-area wireless data service, BroadbandAccess customers can download a 1 Megabyte email attachment (for example, a small PowerPoint presentation or a large PDF file), or receive three digital pictures (each 400 x 600 pixels) in less than 20 seconds. Because EV-DO technology is backward compatible customers who travel outside a BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will seamlessly switch to Verizon Wireless' existing NationalAccess service, which runs on the company's 1xRTT network.

Working with virtual private network (VPN) connections, business customers can use BroadbandAccess as an extension of their corporate local area network (LAN) or intranet, allowing them to work from any location within the BroadbandAccess coverage area, as if they were in the office. BroadbandAccess, with typical user download speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second (kbps), is ideal for downloading files and business-critical information residing behind corporate firewalls and for accessing e-mail, intranets and the Internet. BroadbandAccess' EV-DO technology has its own data protection and authentication and is designed to work with a business' existing IT infrastructure and security solutions.

BroadbandAccess is available for $79.99 monthly access for unlimited use with a one- or two-year customer agreement. For more information on BroadbandAccess from Verizon Wireless, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/broadbandaccess.

EV-DO Network

V CAST and BroadbandAccess run on Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network, which began commercial operation in October 2003 in San Diego and Washington, D.C. Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network initially made its commercial debut with BroadbandAccess wireless Internet access service for business customers and mobile professionals. The company launched its V CAST wireless broadband multimedia service in February 2005.

Verizon Wireless expanded the EV-DO coverage area -- the V CAST and BroadbandAccess service areas -- to cover more than 35 major markets so far this year and is on target to reach half of the U.S. population by the end of 2005. The company's expansion strategy includes adding new markets and expanding network coverage in existing markets.

http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_...&date=20050624

[bobolito]

Verizon Wireless Expands Internet Service By BRUCE MEYERSON, AP Business Writer
Mon Jun 27, 8:56 PM ET



Verizon Wireless is bringing broadband Internet service to 15 more markets, for a total of more than 50, extending its lead over Cingular Wireless and Sprint Corp. in delivering faster data transfers to laptop and cell phone users.

The expansion of the Verizon data network, which can make mobile workers more productive and which fuels such new services as video on cell phones, includes Seattle, St. Louis, Cleveland and the Long Island suburbs of New York City.

The announcement, expected Tuesday, comes amid mounting speculation about possible snags in the launch of the same technology by Sprint and the further deployment of a similar service by Cingular.

Verizon's rivals both maintain they're on track with their wireless broadband strategies despite some substantial merger distractions.

Mindful of Verizon's publicity push, Sprint told The Associated Press on Monday that rather than waiting to launch its EV-DO technology across entire markets, it may start offering services in "dense business corridors" and airports in certain cities by early summer.

Sprint, hustling to complete its planned merger with Nextel Communications Inc., also said its EV-DO service will be available in about 60 metropolitan areas when its national build-out is complete in early 2006.

Cingular, which is working to integrate the AT&T Wireless network and operations it acquired late last year, already sells wireless broadband using a technology called UMTS in six cities and plans to add at least 10 more markets by the end of 2005.

EV-DO and the type of UMTS that Cingular is deploying are billed as providing download speeds from 400 to 700 kilobits per second.

That's on par with entry-level DSL and cable broadband services but well shy of the speed delivered by Wi-Fi connections at many airports, coffee shops and book stores.

But despite the slower speed, EV-DO and UMTS give users the flexibility of being to go online wherever there's a cellular signal. A Wi-Fi signal typically carries only a few hundred feet.

Wireless companies view mobile Internet access as one of more promising opportunities in an industry where price wars are weighing on revenues from phone calls and nearly two thirds of the nation's people are already signed up as customers.

Verizon, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, charges laptop $80 per month for unlimited Internet access. For cell phones, Verizon's multimedia VCAST service costs $15 per month for unlimited use, not including fees for premium content such as music videos and 3-D video games.

The Verizon service is now available in 13 of the 15 new markets: Akron, Ohio; Athens, Ga.; Beaumont, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis; Lake Charles, La.; Nassau and Suffolk, N.Y.; New London, Conn.; Portland, Ore.; Richmond, Va.; St. Louis; San Antonio; Seattle. The service will be turned on in Rochester and Syracuse, N.Y. on July 11.

As part of the latest rollout, Verizon is also adding service at airports in four more markets: Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota, and Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose in California.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/high_spee...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[jones]

Voice still represents 92 percent of Verizon Wireless revenue.

Who knows someday this will be profitable,
when people are Ready to Pay ($79.99/mo)
for this Type of Service.

[Matt]

and for all the push for EV-DO, Verizon announced today they have 500,000 subscribers to their service....about 1% of the customer base.

[jones]

Some users can't even Let Go
of their ANALOG Phone.

[ceric20]

Originally Posted by jones

Voice still represents 92 percent of Verizon Wireless revenue.

Who knows someday this will be profitable,
when people are Ready to Pay ($79.99/mo)
for this Type of Service.

Ya i think 80 bucks is kinda high for internet.. wireless or not

[Critic]

Originally Posted by jones

Some users can't even Let Go
of their ANALOG Phone.

Dropped bag phone on foot
I think I need a doctor
Can you hear me now?

Seriously, tho, the problem with VZW's high speed offerings is that the prices are just too high, especially when you compare them to a TMo Hotspot monthly plan. (Another hotspot plus - they've already got roaming figured out.)

And, while we're on it, EVDO handsets are never going to catch on here the way 3G handsets have caught on in Asia and Europe because there's just no 'killer app' for the US market. VCAST and other 'tv on your phone' services will never take off when you can rip any DVD you own to a memory stick and play it back on your PSP (or, hell, your PHONE, if its got a TF or similar memory card!). Two-way video chat won't be possible until UMTS is deployed more widely. And I don't want to buy music on my phone, let alone use my phone as an ATM, as they were reporting on the news the other day. (Although I wouldn't mind the 'pay vending machines using your phone' thing they have in Europe.)

Hate to say it, but the killer app for wireless phones in the US is still...well, being a PHONE. That's why the V710 has sold so well. Sure, the camera sucks donkey b*lls, but the RF and call quality are outstanding.