A little about the Competition

Verizon looks for data users New LTE wireless network super fast for downloads but it's costly for use as your primary Internet access
By Dwight Silverman
Houston Chronicle
Published on Monday, Dec 13, 2010

Lowell McAdam, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, introduces the new 4G LTE on the Verizon network during a news conference at the CTIA Enterprise & Applications conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile carrier, will introduce its fastest wireless network in 38 markets by the end of the year, including Boston, New York and Washington, to lure more users for data services.

LTE
Verizon Wireless has begun selling access to its next-generation wireless data network, joining competitors in boosting speeds for those who connect to the Net on the go. Verizon is using a technology known as ''Long Term Evolution,'' or LTE. For now, the only devices that can talk to the LTE network are modems that use a USB connection to plug into a computer. Verizon's first device is LG's VLW600, which only works with Windows PCs. (Mac support is on the way.) It costs $100 after a $50 rebate, and you'll need to sign a two-year contract for one of two data plans.
Smartphones  Smartphones that work with Verizon's LTE network will come early next year.

Costs
You can pay $50 and get 5 gigabytes of data each month, or spend $80 for 10 GB. If you go over either amount, you're charged $10 per gigabyte. Unfortunately, there's no all-you-can-eat plan.
Equipment
The LG modem is surprisingly large. A cap over the USB plug snaps up, and when you plug it into a port on your notebook, it will almost certainly block other ports. Fortunately, the package comes with a USB extension cable so the modem can be used without hogging so much space. If you've used Verizon's broadband data products before, the VZAccess Manager software will be familiar. It can handle Wi-Fi and Verizon's data network connections, including both LTE and the company's established EVDO service. It also provides you with usage statistics, so you can quickly see how much data you've slurped. That's very important, as I'll address later.


SPEED
And yeah, this network is fast. I did a variety of speed tests from both Speedtest.net and Speakeasy.com and averaged around 11 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. My best test was on Speakeasy, connecting to a server in Dallas, where I got an astounding 41 Mbps down and 7 Mbps up. Keep in mind that Verizon's LTE network just launched, so there are relatively few people using it. Speed test results that high won't be typical for long, and you won't see them in all areas. Verizon executives say early adopters will enjoy extraordinary speeds, but download speeds around 8 Mbps will be the norm once the network is better-populated, with a range of 5-12 Mbps.
How fast is LTE in practical terms? I was able to download a 700-megabyte file in about 5 minutes. A download of Google's Chrome browser, about 8 MB, took just a few seconds. I spent about 15 minutes streaming the 1973 film The Exorcist via Netflix's Watch Instantly service, and the quality of the video was excellent.


CAREFUL
However, Verizon's LTE network isn't priced to be used as your primary Internet access. In about 30 minutes of tests, I blew through more than a gigabyte of data, or 20 percent of the allotment for Verizon's lowest-tier LTE service. Obviously, I was downloading large files for testing, and that's not something most users will do regularly. But if you're a road warrior relying on your notebook for work during the day and entertainment at night, you'll want to keep a close eye on how much data you use.
Some of your usage can come in unexpected ways. For example, Netflix varies the quality of the video it streams based on the speed of your connection. Faster speeds mean a better image, but also more data coming down the pipe.


Let's Compare
So how does Verizon's LTE compare in terms of speed and price with its competitors' 4G offerings?
Sprint has rolled out a network it shares with Clear, using a technology called WiMax. In my tests on both Clear's and Sprint's services, I averaged around 6 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up.
T-Mobile has turned on its HSPA+ network. In my tests, I saw between 3-5 Mbps down and about 3 Mbps up.
AT&T won't have its own HSPA+ network up and running until sometime in 2011.
Pricing and data limits vary greatly, and you should check the carriers' Web sites for details. But Sprint and Clear are the only carriers with truly unlimited 4G service with $50 and $45 a month plans, respectively. Both also offer higher-priced plans for modems that fall back to 3G when 4G isn't available, and the 3G part is capped at 5 GB. T-mobile has a $40 plan with a ''soft'' cap of 5 GB, but rather than being charged for going over, your speed might be slowed. It's essentially unlimited, but after 5 GB, it could be frustrating to use.
And because these networks are new, they are not available everywhere. Each carrier's site has a feature that lets you check whether you can get the service where you are.


ROVER
You might also want to check out the pay-as-you go mobile broadband service called Rover, which is owned by Clear.
At the moment, Verizon's LTE network is the speed winner, but it's pricey and could be very costly for heavy data users. Competition should impact pricing over time, but for now, you'll need to keep a close eye on the meter.