Verizon Launches 4G LTE in 38 Metro areas by yr end (map)

Wait, I thought vzw said they would launch LTE at every NFL city? I don't see Detroit, Buffalo, Kansas City, Green Bay, and maybe more that I am missing.

 

Wait, when did Akron, OH become a "Major Metropolitan Area"?

PS:

Detroit isn't really a NFL city

 

Oh, I agree. But still, they said every NFL city, and I see 3 that they left off. Also surprising that they didn't include DTW (Detroit Wayne Metro Airport). That is a MAJOR delta hub. Why is verizon hating on Michigan?

 

Anyone know what method Verizon is using to do this so quickly? I'm assuming they are just changing out or adding equipment to their existing base stations, unlike Sprint and Clearwire which have to build an entirely new network and cell sites for WiMax.

 

Apparently, they have been at this for quite some time now. It is much like how Sprint added CDMA to iden only sites. They are just going to sites and adding LTE equipment to it. Since verizon usually (at least from what I have seen) uses full shelters, they have the room to do it. Also, at 700mhz, they don't need twice the sites that WiMax does at 2000+ mhz.

 

But I had heard that 700Mhz panels would have to be added and were crazy big in size. Is that no longer true?

 

Those panels do have to be added, but as I understand it, this has been going on in the markets for quite some time now. Check this post out. The panels are bit bigger, but nothing that crazy.

http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/c.../79218-im-a-cell-hunting-noob.html#post557252

 

The Akron-Canton area is a sub-metro of Greater Cleveland. As an example, Akron-Canton fall in the Cleveland television market, even though the two cities (and their regional area) are more than capable of being on their own. I'm guessing it's close enough to Columbus too to be worthy of being considered a "metro area" in Verizon's case.

This is much like the Inland Empire (San Bernardino/Riverside) area of Greater Los Angeles. The IE is a metro area in its own right, but within the greater consolidated metro statistical are of Los Angeles.

 

Yeah that's about what I expected (size wise) but I haven't seen any of those being added to Verizon sites here in the Orange County, CA area.

 

I'm sure they will get there eventually. Verizon has a HUGE advantage with 700mhz. Clearwire, for all intensive purposes, has to at least double the sprint footprint in the NYC-Long Island area, and that is exactly what they are doing (probably why they ran out of money). Verizon has the luxury of building out on their existing footprint, and probably no more.

 

I wonder how they will overlay 700 Mhz on microcells that have no room to accommodate additional equipment? Same with Clearwire. Here in the Orange County area a big portion of residential areas are served by DAS and microcells. Clearwire appears to be avoiding these areas for now and are only doing areas that have traditional towers/cell sites available.

 

Not too sure how they will cover those area. They might just have to make their own DAS network.
In the NYC region, I have a suspicion that the massive Optimum WiFi network run by cablevision will partner with Sprint/Clearwire. I believe that they will either run these APs in multi-mode WiFi and WiMax, or just have users connect to them via WiFi without knowing it.

 

Essentially Verizon opted to go the opposite route of Sprint/Clear. Instead of gradually turning on markets as they come online, they've opted to wait to turn them all on at the same time. I'm guessing they're doing this so they don't open up their 4G coverage to the kind of criticism they threw at AT&T's 3G network.

 

I have seen alot of Verizon sites around here swapping panels due to integrating
the Alltel network in Greenville SC, and it's still in the process in Charlotte.

I wonder if they were adding LTE to these sites?
it's been around 6 months in Greenville SC since I noticed the change on most of their sites.
The Charlotte system still hasn't integrated the Alltel towers.

Here's 2 pics of sites I noticed, one in Greenville & one in the Charlotte area that changed.

 

It should be noted that Detroit is missing, but Verizon clarified during today’s conference that it will be included and that they are just working out some final bugs....

Bugs = There's an issue with the signals bleeding over into Windsor, ON and interfering with their stuff.

 

In regards to the Los Angeles area, I noticed Ontario Intl. Airport in the Inland Empire was not on the list. I wonder if only L.A. and Orange counties will have LTE first, with San Bernardino and Riverside coming on line later. It they do this, it will mirror T-Mobile's 3G activation a few years ago where the IE was left out in the cold for a while. Since the L.A. market is the largest geographical cellular market in the country, I wouldn't be surprised.

I guess we'll see what happens...

 

LTE is a whole new network, so it's pretty much the same as Sprint and Clearwire. I would imagine VZW would in most cases keep the base station footprint, and just throw out the old CDMA cabinet for a new modular one that could accommodate both CDMA and LTE. New 700MHz antennas and cabeling would be needed. A new/upgraded backhaul as well. And of course a new SAE core network also. So yea, the work must have been going on for quite a while now quietly behind the scenes.

When I worked with Telstra in Australia in 2006 they did their 3G roll out the same way. We worked like dogs for 1 year quietly building the network, turning the sites on only to drive-test them, then locking them again. Then when most of it was ready, Telstra had a big press announcement, "flipped the switch" and most of the country suddenly lit up with a new live, commercial 3.5G HSDPA network :thumb: I can imagine VZW is using the same playbook On the other hand, in Europe, most operators use the "cluster" approach like Sprint/Clearwire. They start with turning on coverage in some major cities, see how it goes, then start expanding the coverage outward. A little more cautious way of doing things. Well, VZW is doing something in between I guess, they are doing a nationwide "cluster" approach.

 

Correct. I even think that VZW announced at least a year ago they wouldn't be taking the same approach as Sprint/Clearwire and that they preferred to have their 4G network up and running in most major cities before selling service. I think it is a smart move. They missed out on being able to claim to be the "1st to 4G" but they will avoid the "4G doesn't work anywhere" complaints.

 

Maybe it's the same for Buffalo. It's pretty close to Canada, as well.

 

I'm sure it is. The cell signals from either county bleed pretty far into the other. Here is a monopole in Buffalo that is right up along the Niagara River in downtown Buffalo, just a few hundred yards from Canada.

http://gallery.wirelessadvisor.com/showimage.php?i=5198&catid=searchresults&searchid=5445

Notice how it only has 2 sectors for each carrier, as not to blast signal into canada.

 

Countries have to coordinate their frequencies along the borders to make sure the CAN networks don't interfere with the US ones (and vice versa). For example, if there are 20 frequencies available in the 700MHz block, the US carrier will agree to use 1-10 and the CAN carrier will use 11-20 along the border. Not the best example, but at least you get the idea. Anyway, I guess it takes some times for the authorities (FCC and CAN counterpart) to hash this out. Gov't agencies aren't famous for their quick actions, so could be a while ...

 

Oklahoma City REPRESENT!!

Seriously though, I've known about OKC being part of the launch for quite some time, and have a "friend" who is currently doing a friendly user trial. he's seeing bursts of up to 50mbps. Granted, the network is not loaded down, but wow. He's also been very surprised how far into "the sticks" the LTE is built out here in the OKC area. They've been super sneaky about this, because they have pretty much the whole OKC metro and even po-dunk surrounding towns covered.

EDIT: The reason I'm bragging: OKC never gets ANYTHING early. We're the last to get everything, so it's refreshing. Oh, did I mention I have an LTE cell site within line-of-sight of my kitchen window?

 

I agree - I was very excited - and shocked - to see OKC on the list, especially since Verizon just initiated service in OKC late last year.

I don't know many who have Verizon service in this area so far, but an eastern side of the state fellow forumite has been very pleased with Verizon's coverage in the "sticks" over there.