Verizon announced today that it will “turn on” its fourth generation LTE wireless network this coming Sunday on December 5 and will be launching in 30 cities by the end of this year. The new network is to offer speeds that are 10 times faster than its current 3G EV-DO network. However you will need a new LTE-compatible handset to reap the benefits of this new network.
Verizon’s LTE network is designed to offer speeds of 5-12Mbps. These data speeds will be initially available to mobile broadband users who choose the new LG VL600 or Pantech UML290 USB modems which cost $100 with a two year contract and after a $50 rebate.
Verizon also talked about its pricing for the LTE plans. Two plans are currently available. $50 per month gets you 5GB of data or $80 per month for 10GB. Additional $10 for every additional 1GB used.
Initial coverage includes 38 cities and metropolitan areas through which Verizon expects to cover atleast one-third of all Americans. Cities include New York, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Atlanta, Seattle, Dallas-Ft Worth, and Boston, Akron, Athens and West Lafayette. Verizon plans to upgrade its entire 3G coverage area to LTE by 2013.
However Verizon doesn’t plan to have 4G LTE-compatible devices available to consumers until mid-2011 which could be a bummer if you were wanting to buy a compatible handset.
The list of cities follows.
- Akron, Ohio
- Athens, Georgia
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chicago, Illinois
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Dallas, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Houston, Texas
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Los Angeles, California
- Miami, Florida
- Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Nashville, Tennessee
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- New York, New York
- Oakland, California
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Orlando, Florida
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Rochester, New York
- San Antonio, Texas
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- San Jose, California
- Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
- St Louis, Missouri
- Tampa, Florida
- Washington, DC
- West Lafayette, Indiana
- West Palm Beach, Florida
Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Commercial Airport Deployment
- Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin, Texas
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal, Glen Burnie, Maryland
- Bob Hope, Burbank, California
- Boeing Field/King County International, Seattle, Washington
- Charlotte/Douglas International, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chicago Midway International, Chicago, Illinois
- Chicago O’Hare International, Chicago, Illinois
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington, Kentucky
- Cleveland-Hopkins International, Cleveland, Ohio
- Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas
- Dallas/Fort Worth International, Fort Worth, Texas
- Denver International, Denver, Colorado
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, Houston, Texas
- Greater Rochester International, Rochester, New York
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Atlanta, Georgia
- Honolulu International, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jacksonville International, Jacksonville, Florida
- John F. Kennedy International, New York, New York
- John Wayne Airport-Orange County, Santa Ana, California
- Kansas City International, Kansas City, Missouri
- La Guardia, New York, New York
- Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis, Missouri
- Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts
- Long Beach/Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California
- Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, California
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Metairie, Louisiana
- McCarran International, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee
- Metropolitan Oakland International, Oakland, California
- Miami International, Miami, Florida
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Nashville International, Nashville, Tennessee
- New Castle, Wilmington, Delaware
- Newark Liberty International, Newark, New Jersey
- Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, San Jose, California
- North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Orlando International, Orlando, Florida
- Orlando Sanford International, Sanford, Florida
- Palm Beach International, West Palm Beach, Florida
- Philadelphia International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Mesa, Arizona
- Pittsburgh International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Port Columbus International, Columbus, Ohio
- Portland International, Portland, Oregon
- Rickenbacker International, Columbus, Ohio
- Ronald Reagan Washington National, Arlington, Virginia
- Sacramento International, Sacramento, California
- Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City, Utah
- San Antonio International, San Antonio, Texas
- San Diego International, San Diego, California
- San Francisco International, San Francisco, California
- Seattle-Tacoma International, Seattle, Washington
- St Augustine, Saint Augustine, Florida
- St Petersburg-Clearwater International, Clearwater, Florida
- Tampa International, Tampa, Florida
- Teterboro, Teterboro, New Jersey
- Trenton Mercer, Trenton, New Jersey
- Washington Dulles International, Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC
- Will Rogers World, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- William P Hobby, Houston, Texas