Verizon Wireless officially elected LTE – Long Term Evolution, as the successor to its popular CDMA / EVDO network. LTE will become the future 4G network infrastructure that Verizon needs in order to provide faster wireless services throughout the country. LTE has been developed within the confines of the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership) standard which will allow for streamlining compatibility throughout various parts of the world without the need for two different chipsets in a single device. With Vodafone owning a large stake in Verizon Wireless, both these companies announced that they will conduct tests in 2008 with other various trial phone suppliers. LTE is said to provide speeds of up to 100 megabits per second down and 50 megabits up which would in turn enable live television streaming, online gaming and a more enjoyable unadulterated mobile Internet experience.
Verizon’s current network offers the 3G CDMA EV-DO platform invented by San Diego based Qualcomm Inc. With this announcement on the heals of Verizon’s Commitment to Open Devices and Open Application Development, its partnership with Qualcomm can be seen as coming to a close.
