Do you rely on Verizon Wireless 3G EV-DO data service? Well get ready to bend over. While your phone or modem may not stop working any time soon, its data access is likely to get slower and slower next year, as the red carrier 'refarms' its 3G channels as 4G LTE service.
Oh dear, I guess the 3G CDMA party's over.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers consider their options.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
Kevin Fitchard reports:
Verizon has started cannibalizing its old CDMA EV-DO...PCS spectrum, marking the beginning of what will likely be a very slow death for 3G.
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Milan Milanovic discovered signs of Verizon’s new LTE network in Manhattan. ... The 1980MHz/1990MHz chunk...has traditionally been part Verizon’s 3G EV-DO network, or it was until last month when Milanovic noticed it was turned off. ... Milanovic said that he’s found Verizon LTE in the PCS band at cell sites all over Manhattan.
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Spokeswoman Debra Lewis confirmed that Verizon is indeed testing LTE on the PCS band. [But] 41 percent of the total devices on Verizon’s networks only have 2G and 3G radios. MORE
David Steele steels himself for the backlash: [Ugh. Welcome back -Ed.]
When most British 4G LTE cellular networks were in the planning and pre-rollout stage, I remember having a conversation with a carrier network engineer and talking about...how the carriers would likely favour 2G and 4G [only]. ... 2G is great for handling calling and texting [but 3G] didn’t have anything like the same capacity so would be swapped out. I could see the logic behind this, but...it seemed just a pipe dream.
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We are seeing the first signs of this...thanks to the investigations of Milan Milanovic, the sort of chap who carries around an industrial spectrum analyzer. ... The masts are only transmitting at a very low level and Internet connection speeds are very slow, so Verizon appear to be still in the testing stage.
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[But] whilst somewhere close to 80% of Verizon’s traffic is now transferred across 4G networks, only 60% of their total devices in use today have a 4G radio. MORE
Yes, Milan Milanovic geeks out thuswise:
Well this was gonna happen sooner or later... Picked up Verizon's 10MHz FDD LTE in New York City. ... Both Verizon and AT&T actually have to step up and densify the NYC market.
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Verizon has deployed 80MHz of dedicated LTE spectrum in NYC. They still have EvDO running over 20MHz in PCS, and 20+Mhz for 1x in the 850MHz. ... Pretty much all Verizon AWS sites are transmitting Band 2 in Manhattan. ... LTE Discovery is showing [a] freq range from 1950MHz-2390Mhz. That's a wide range. MORE
So Mikey Styles styles it up: [You're fired -Ed.]
As much as most of us dump on VZW this is an overall positive note for them. Especially considering they have old 800mhz spectrum too. Having 700mhz, 800mhz, AWS, & the old PCS band says a lot of how they'll continue to dominate in some ways. Also is an eventual win for consumers as they won't be able to lock those frequencies on LTE. MORE
Meanwhile, CommodoreFan64 fears imminent domestic disharmony:
I recently got my g/f the Net10 variant of the Motorola Moto E that runs on Verizon towers, and it only does up to HSPA+ speeds. I'm sure there are gonna be a lot of people complaining. MORE
You have been reading IT Blogwatch by Richi Jennings, who curates the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites… so you don't have to. Catch the key commentary from around the Web every morning. Hatemail may be directed to @RiCHi or itbw@richi.uk. Opinions expressed may not represent those of Computerworld. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. E&OE.
