As more enterprises embrace wireless connectivity for their office and remote workers, Verizon continues to advance its network so clients can take advantage of expanded coverage, better reliability and fast speeds.
In the first half of 2016, Verizon has invested $5 billion in its wireless network, resulting in:
- 2.34 million square miles of LTE network coverage, significantly outpacing competitors
- High rankings among third-party studies that analyze network performance, including the latest RootMetrics national performance study where Verizon consistently had faster speeds than any other wireless network in 37 of 50 states, and tied in four others.
- A long track record of sustained network investment. Verizon has now invested about $116 billion in its network since 2000, more than any other wireless company.
Fast data speeds
During the first half of the year, Verizon network teams began bringing “carrier aggregation” to more than 450 cities across the nation. Carrier aggregation uses software to combine multiple channels into one large channel, allowing data sessions to complete and leave the network more quickly. The result is faster speeds for business users with carrier aggregation-capable devices.
Verizon’s 4G LTE network is engineered to provide, on average, 5 Mbps to 12 Mbps while downloading and 2 Mbps to 5 Mbps while uploading. At these levels, Verizon’s enterprise customers can rely on a high-performance experience for all their data needs – video, music, email and social.
Coverage and capacity
Our 2016 investment includes the expansion of Verizon’s XLTE network technology, which doubles the company’s 4G LTE bandwidth and provides enterprises with greater peak speeds covering nearly 2.4 million square miles in 466 markets nationwide, including 13 new markets launched in the last 90 days.
Verizon installed more than 1,500 new cell sites and added XLTE technology to more than 1,700 sites across the country from January to July, accommodating exponential data usage growth and enabling clients to experience an unmatched level of reliable connectivity.
Teams also focused on handling ever-increasing traffic on Verizon’s wireless network by designing and deploying new small cell sites and Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) in locations across the U.S. Small cells consist of a radio, antenna, power and a fiber connection and are strategically positioned on street lights, sides of buildings or other structures. They operate within Verizon’s existing network coverage area to add additional 4G LTE capacity in heavily trafficked areas.
Through mid-2016, Verizon deployed more than 2,100 small cell solution nodes, including dozens installed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in advance of Super Bowl 50.
DAS consists of unseen cables and numerous antennas distributed throughout high traffic areas such as stadiums, convention or shopping centers, office buildings, train stations, airline terminals, and dense, outdoor urban areas. So far this year, Verizon has deployed more than 350 DAS solutions.
In outlying areas, Verizon’s LTE in Rural America (LRA) program includes 21 participants spanning 15 states and representing communities in 169 rural counties. The 21 LRA participants combined currently reach over 2.7 million people while covering approximately 120,000 square miles of America’s rural areas with 4G LTE, an area larger than the state of Arizona.
Proven reliability and performance
Verizon engineers work 24 by 7, checking and testing the performance of Verizon’s network, to ensure that it’s optimized across the nation. In a single day, they analyze over 1,000,000,000,000,000 (one quadrillion!) bytes of data.
The Verizon network ranks highest most often in leading studies, and in multiple tests, year after year. For the fifth consecutive testing period, Verizon’s network was rated No. 1 in overall network performance among the four national wireless companies in the United States by RootMetrics® in its National RootScore® Report (Rankings based on the RootMetrics U.S. National RootScore Report: 2H, 2015.
For the third time, Verizon’s network ranked highest across all six regions among U.S. wireless providers, according to J.D. Power 2016 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study℠, Volume 1. Verizon wireless service achieves the highest score in all three quality categories: calling, messaging, and data.
Consistent investment
Last year, Verizon invested $11 billion+ in wireless network improvements, and has now invested more than $116 billion in its wireless network since 2000.
DISCLAIMER: Rankings based on the RootMetrics US National RootScore Report: 2H 2015. Tested with best commercially available smartphones on 4 national mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of Verizon. Visit www.rootmetrics.com for more details
