Verizon Tests LTE Network: Watch Out, Clear and Sprint

Verizon Wireless, whose plan is to have its 4G/LTE network in 50 to 60 markets by the end of 2012, ran trial LTE tests in Boston and Seattle with great success. It’s not a shocker that LTE will be much faster than 3G, but Verizon seems pleased to announce that average speeds were in the neighborhood of 5 to 12 Mbps for downloads and approximately 2 to 5 Mbps uploads. That’s faster than the 4G claims of Clearwire and Sprint, and maybe fast enough to cause some subscribers to drop their home broadband connections altogether.

So what about peak speeds? Hold onto your hats.

Verizon says it saw max speeds of 40 to 50 Mbps on the downlink and upload speeds of 20 to 25 Mbps. Having blazing fast speeds should allow video, VoIP calls, downloads and web browsing to be done without any kind of hiccups.

If accurate, Verizon’s numbers compare very favorably to 4G speeds we’ve seen recently when testing the WiMax network offered by Clear and Sprint in Philadelphia. In our early tests, we saw download speeds of about 3.5 Mbps at best.

When can we expect to see Verizon’s LTE network light up across the U.S.? Verizon CTO Tony Melone says:

Our LTE rollout plan positions Verizon Wireless to be a global leader in 4G LTE deployment. We are on track to deliver an outstanding wireless data experience to customers in 25 to 30 markets covering roughly 100 million people by year’s end

If Verizon stays on schedule, it would be great news for consumers. Let’s just hope that the usual snags and delays of network deployment stay at a minimum.