Initial Verizon LTE Take Rate Encouraging; Carrier Working on Handoff Delay
Verizon Wireless’s LTE network has been performing as expected since it launched Dec. 5, Nicola Palmer, vice president of network, said in an interview. The carrier is working with vendor LG on a handoff delay that may affect some customers roaming from 3G to 4G, she said.
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Initial feedback was positive and Verizon has seen customers being able to get on and stay on the network at the rates it expected, Palmer said. Speeds have settled down into Verizon’s stated range: 5-12 Mbps down and 2-5 Mbps up, she said. Many customers have experienced much higher speeds, Palmer said. “I feel very comfortable with our throughput.” Since the launch, the service has attracted a mix of business and consumer users, Palmer said. Some customers are even using the service as their main broadband at home, she said. That said, Verizon will continue to invest in 3G and roll out new 3G devices, Palmer said. The company is fully committed to maintaining and improving the network, she said.
Some LTE USB modem users may run into up to a two-minute delay when switching from Verizon’s 3G network onto the LTE network, Palmer acknowledged. Going the other direction, 4G to 3G, the switch is seamless, she said. The carrier is working with its vendor, LG, to resolve the problem, she said. Capacity issues are unlikely on the LTE network, she said. “We will be fine for the foreseeable future,” but consumers will keep consuming more and more data, she said. It’s all about capacity planning, she said.
Going forward, carrying multiple devices is the trend, Palmer said. LTE’s high speed and low latency create a good M2M environment, she said. The penetration rate can go as high as 500 percent, she said. Backhaul is critically important for an LTE network, she said. The carrier has added new cell sites with fiber-based Ethernet in the backhaul, she said. That allows Verizon to easily upgrade backhaul as data demand increases, she said. Additionally, as the carrier expands its markets, especially in rural areas, it will consider backhaul solutions such as Ethernet over microwave, she said. The company is in the second phase of its LTE launch, which seeks by early 2012 to double the coverage it launched with, she said. It plans for LTE to reach most of the 3G footprint by 2013, she said.