Verizon's fiber-optic cell site links provide critical capacity, reliability for the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network

MARCH 25, 2010 -- From CTIA Wireless 2010, Verizon Global Wholesale and Verizon Wireless announced that Verizon Telecom's ultra-reliable, variable-capacity, fiber-optic links between cell sites and switching facilities will provide critical support for the first 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network being built by Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Global Wholesale will be providing fiber-optic links between more than 3,500 Verizon Wireless cell sites and the company's mobile telephone switching offices in 25 states and the District of Columbia. This "fiber backhaul" data transmission service delivers cell site traffic of all kinds -- voice, Internet, and video -- as packetized data over fiber-optic Ethernet private line links to and from network switching facilities.

Verizon Wireless' LTE rollout plan is on track to deliver the nation's first 4G LTE network to customers in 25 to 30 markets, covering roughly 100 million people by year's end. Verizon Wireless has been conducting trials in Boston and Seattle since August 2009 that have indicated that the network is capable of peak download speeds of 40 to 50 megabits per second (Mbps), peak upload speeds of 20 to 25 Mbps and average data rates of 5 to 12 Mbps on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world environments.

By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage and in-building penetration. Verizon Wireless is currently installing LTE equipment at existing cell sites and switching centers around the United States as part of its extensive, ongoing investment in its voice and data network infrastructure.