How’d you like to have maximum rates of 100 Mbit/s down and 50 Mbit/s up on your phone? It’s coming to certain test areas next year and, if successful, should be rolled out by 2010 at the latest.
Verizon announced today that it’ll be using the new standards-based 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol for its fourth-generation high speed data network. Interestingly, AT&T is thought to be considering using LTE as well. You would, in effect, be able to roam in between each network. And since each company claims to have superior coverage, you’d likely have little trouble finding a signal just about anywhere.
No word on which markets will be tested or when they’ll be tested next year, unfortunately. I’d love to see this offered as Internet service, though. If either company could price it at, say, less than $50 and just ship a wireless router with built-in LTE access to your house, you’d be up and running in no time.
Verizon Selects LTE As 4G Wireless Broadband Direction [Verizon Press Release] via MacNN