Carolina West signs on for Verizon Wireless' LTE in Rural America program

Ring that bell again for Verizon Wireless (VZ) as the nation’s largest operator has added yet another rural player to its LTE in Rural America program. Just a day after signing up Indiana-based S and R Communications L.L.C., Carolina West Wireless and its subsidiary Clear Stream Communications L.L.C. said they will also join the program and deploy an LTE network using Verizon Wireless’ 700 MHz spectrum covering parts of northwestern North Carolina.
The deal calls for Verizon Wireless to partner with Clear Stream to build and operate the network using Clear Stream’s tower and backhaul assets and Verizon Wireless’ core LTE equipment. The end result will be LTE coverage for Carolina West’s customers in the area as well as Verizon Wireless’ customers traveling through the area. Carolina West will also be able to offer LTE roaming services across Verizon Wireless’ nationwide network.
Verizon Wireless’ current LTE network covers more than 120 million potential customers, with plans to match its current CDMA footprint by the end of 2013.
Verizon Wireless has signed up several carriers to its LTE in Rural America program, including Utah-based Strata Networks, Wisconsin-based Cellcom, Kentucky-based Bluegrass Cellular, Oklahoma-based Pioneer Cellular and Cross Telephone.
Verizon Wireless’ LTE in Rural America program, which the carrier started in 2010, is sure to be a hot topic at next week’s Rural Cellular Association convention in Las Vegas as smaller players begin planning their next-generation network plans.