Verizon Wireless Targets LTE Build Out for 2009
Transition from CDMA?
kevinski said:
It was my understanding that a "transition" won't be necessary. I've asked about this before with someone who appears to be very familiar with the intended implementation of LTE for Verizon Wireless, and I'm pretty sure that Verizon Wireless is sticking with CDMA. Why would a transition be necessary?
LTE is not CDMA's natural evolution path. It is a tremendous hardware overhaul to a true IP core and several other changes. Authentication becomes USIM based as LTE is a GSM based technology.
Besides, eventually Qualcomm will caese to support CDMA.
Most likely it will be only on higher end phones at first, sold only in major cities, and then move from there.
Plus, you have a TON of legacy plans that people need to upgrade from, so verizon will have to support old CDMA technology until they develop a "basic" LTE phone.
There are a lot of people still using their old brick phones (with analog/digital radios) on the 14.95/30/.45 plans who won't take too kindly to being "forced" into a broadband phone if it means they have to pay more.
The cost for running two separate networks. I think they will handle it like Cingular did.
Forget the legacy plans. Most of those people are out of contract. and I'm sure Verizon would rather have them on more expensive plans or not have them at all. If Verizon actually WANTs to have plans that cheap for those customer, I doubt it would be too hard for them to make them.
There is a lot that needs to happen for either GSM or CDMA to be fully transitioned to LTE.
Azeron said:
I do not understand it either. Why can't they have manufacturers create handsets with 850/1900 CDMA radios and add 700 LTE radios?
Actually, I believe there will need to be support for AWS as well. For some markets, I believe Verizon will also build out AWS networks to handle LTE. 800 & 1900 are already being used for CDMA, and in many of those markets, they're at capacity. So Verizon won't be able to partition any of that spectrum for LTE until CDMA usage goes down. I somehow believe that in the beginning, that phones will have both CDMA & LTE. I could be wrong, but there are too many areas that Verizon has to build out an LTE network, that they can't cover all markets with LTE immediat...
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