Verizon brings 4G technology to WMass

Date: 7/12/2011

SPRINGFIELD — Verizon Wireless announced on June 21 that it is bringing the world’s first large-scale 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network to Springfield, and more than a dozen surrounding communities, on July 21.

Verizon Wireless customers with 4G LTE smartphones, laptop modems and hotspots will be able to take advantage of speeds up to 10 times faster than the company’s 3G network. Cities and towns to be covered by the July 21 4G LTE network launch across Massachusetts’ Hampden and Hampshire Counties include: Agawam, Amherst, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Granby, Hatfield, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Northampton, Palmer, South Hadley, Springfield and West Springfield.

“Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network is not an incremental upgrade in wireless technology — it’s revolutionary, offering tremendous opportunity to Pioneer Valley residents and businesses to better connect and innovate,” Christine Berberich, New England Region president for Verizon Wireless. “As Massachusetts’ wireless leader, we continue to invest in, and expand, our 4G LTE coverage in the Commonwealth. We look forward to bringing Springfield and these surrounding communities on board July 21.”

In real-world, fully-loaded network environments, 4G LTE users should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink. Verizon Wireless began introducing the globe’s first large-scale LTE network on Dec. 5, 2010, covering more than 110 million Americans, and is quickly expanding national coverage, currently offering service in 74 metropolitan areas, including Boston and Hartford, Fairfield and New Haven, Conn.

The company is rapidly building out its 4G LTE network and is on course to deliver 4G LTE to its entire 3G wireless footprint by the end of 2013.

As the first wireless company in the world to broadly deploy game-changing 4G LTE technology, Verizon Wireless is committed to building its 4G network with the same performance and reliability for which it has long been recognized. Verizon Wireless’ consistent focus on reliability is based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined deployment approach year after year. The company’s 700 MHz spectrum gives Verizon Wireless specific advantages with 4G, including a contiguous, nationwide network license.

For more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte.