Verizon Wireless said it plans to extend its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network coverage to 11 new markets and eight airports in six additional markets, bringing the network’s total coverage to 13 metro areas. The additional markets are scheduled for commercial launch Sept. 27.
The new markets include Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Baltimore; Kansas City, Kan./Mo.; Los Angeles; Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Milwaukee; New York; and Philadelphia. The markets join current deployments in San Diego, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C.
The airport-centered launches will include Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Love Field Airport in Dallas; George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston; Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Fla.; Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans; Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Fla.; and Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.
Verizon Wireless President and Chief Executive Officer Denny Strigl said the new markets will expand the network’s coverage to approximately 34 million potential customers, and the carrier is still on schedule to cover approximately 75 million pops, or roughly one-third of its nationwide network, by the end of this year. Strigl added that the EV-DO service, which the carrier calls its BroadbandAccess service, is still a business-oriented service that will continue to rely on PC cards and possibly personal digital assistants.
The carrier plans to expand the service to its consumer customers next year once it has broader coverage and EV-DO-capable handsets.
