Verizon launches high-speed 4G LTE network in Philadelphia

On Sunday, a new entrant to the next-generation 4G wireless market emerged in Philadelphia.

Verizon Wireless announced in a press release that it has launched its Long Term Evolution network in the region, one of 38 major metropolitan launches. The service offers Verizon users average download speeds of 5 to 12Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5Mbps with compatible devices.

The anticipated launch is years in the making, and as we’ve noted many times before, it’s a crowded market.

Sprint, Clear and Comcast all offer similar high-speed 4G offerings on the Clearwire white-labeled WiMAX network. We reviewed Sprint’s service in May, which should give consumers a snapshot of service offered by the three carriers.

Clearwire launched its 4G network last October, as we reported.

Verizon preps local LTE network, Comcast launches WiFi offering

Updated, 10/13: Comcast communications rep Charlie Douglas writes to correct us that Comcast’s Xfinity WiFi is not related to its 4G Xfinity 2go service, which launched last year. “The [Xfinity WiFi] devices are located directly on our existing hybrid fiber-optic coaxial cable network,” Douglas says.

Philadelphia is no stranger to being a mobile testground for telecommunication companies, and two announcements last week have not broken that trend.

Verizon Wireless has announced at a CTIA mobile conference in San Francisco that Philadelphia will be a part of the company’s initial 4G Long Term Evolution mobile technology launch. The fourth generation tech, which will be available before the end of the year, will allow devices average downloads of 5 to 12Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps.

Comcast, too, officially launched its new entered the 4G mobile market Xfinity WiFi network last week, PC Mag reports. Comcast’s residential broadband customers in Philadelphia and some parts of New Jersey are able to access the hotspots at no cost. Users can locate hotspots for the service here.

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Sponsored Post: Top 7 reasons why Philly businesses should switch to the 4G network

Friday Q&A: Verizon Wireless Regional President Mario Turco talks Philly, 4G

We’ve long tracked down the region’s mobile leaders to get them into conversation about Philadelphia’s market.

Tapping regional executive leaders has certainly shed light on how the mobile market in Philadelphia—crowded by nearly every national player— lives and breathes. But truly, we were hard pressed to find tough questions for Verizon Wireless Regional President Mario Turco. With proven customer loyalty and less reported dropped calls, Verizon’s network has done well for the company.

Of course, that the iPhone isn’t available on the network has been a media sore spot for the company since the phone launched.

But that wasn’t why we reached out. It was more important for us to breakdown how the company exists within Philadelphia—including the relationships it has developed with citizens and local government—and to explore how Verizon will move into next-generation mobile technologies.

After the jump, we talk with Turco about Verizon’s network infrastructure investments, partnerships with the community and about the roll-out of its 4G technology.

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Comcast Roundup: Due to battle movie theaters, the man to review NBC and more

Updated 5/21/10 @ 12:08 p.m.: Lobbying as percentage of revenue

DEFINITE READS

The Los Angeles Times profiles Bridget Baker, the NBC executive who negotiates with cable distributors, like Comcast, to secure distribution rights.

The New York Times reports on an FCC ruling supporting a move to allow movie distributors to sell early release feature films via on-demand services, a process that could pit Comcast against movie theaters.

Below, the man who will lead the NBC deal regulation, video interview on the 4G market and more.

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Review: Sprint 4G WiMAX wireless service in Philadelphia

Sprint's Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot in Center City

Photos courtesy of Neal Santos.

Since Clearwire launched its 4G WiMAX network in Philadelphia in October, we’ve been itching to get our hands on a device that would let us utilize the high-speed wireless network.

With promises of speeds that blow away 3G connections that one might be used to on a mobile phone or USB modem, why not?

So we’ve taken the opportunity to test Sprint’s Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot, a compact mobile WiFi router that lets up to 5 people simultaneously connect to Sprint’s WiMAX network.

It should be said that though Sprint, Clear and Comcast all utilize the same 4G WiMAX pipes, performance has been known to vary depending on the device. So while our tests here may indicate one speed, another device could produce a better or worse connection. We hope to test Clear and Comcast devices as the year goes on. [Full Disclosure: Clear is currently a Technically Philly advertising partner]

It should also be noted that the WiMAX network is being upgraded on a regular basis, so new towers are being installed in problem-areas where connection rates may have been poor during our tests produced earlier this year, officials tell us.

That said, we think our review is an interesting look at the network’s capability throughout Fairmount, Center City, Old City and Fishtown (complete with an interactive map of detailed throughput recordings). And we hope you’ll let us know how your 4G connection—whether on Sprint, Clear or Comcast—fares in your own neighborhood.

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Friday Q&A: Clearwire Philadelphia General Manager Andrew Kupiec

You might be surprised to hear that Clearwire’s General Manager of Philadelphia Andrew Kupiec thinks the city’s mobile market isn’t crowded. It’s a big market, he says, and there’s plenty of room in the proverbial sandbox.

“Mobility and speed is our focus … We don’t need to unseat any of the incumbents, the major players in the market,” the Phoenixville resident – who grew up outside Bryn Mawr – said in a telephone interview with Technically Philly Tuesday.

Since we reported that Clear’s next-generation 4G mobile network had soft-launched in early October, the company has been on a major marketing push in Philadelphia. In recent weeks, you might have spotted branded buses and billboards or browsed across localized Internet ads with the company’s slick, green logo.

But it’s just as likely that you’ve walked past one of Comcast’s High-Speed 2Go 4G wireless demo kiosks that have been setup throughout the city. Sprint, too, quietly launched 4G service in late October.

The timing is no coincidence. Sprint and Comcast both have a financial stake in the Clearwire WiMAX network, and are utilizing the Philly rollout to offer their own next generation high-speed services. Yesterday, it was announced that Sprint will invest $1.176 billion in Clearwire, with Comcast promising an additional $176 million in a new round of funding. Google, an initial investor in the network, has chosen not to fund Clearwire in this round. Some analysts see Google’s decision as a loss off faith in WiMAX technology while next generation Long Term Evolution technology gains support from major network carriers.

If we ought not say Philly is crowded, then we can certainly say that residents have mobile broadband options, and more to come. We talked to Kupiec about the Clearwire roll-out, how it is differentiating itself from Sprint and Comcast, what the company is doing to address the digital divide and more, after the jump.

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Comcast Roundup: NBC deal could be announced next week, Bob Brady fights net neutrality and More

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

• The New York Times reports that Comcast could announce a deal to purchase NBC sometime next week. Still, Reuters had reported that Comcast and General Electric were “struggling” to finalize that deal, though it remained “likely.”
• Broadcasting Cable reports that Comcast might be planning to sell off the NBC Network upon purchasing NBC Universal, keeping other components, notably Universal Studios.
• paidContent reports that talks with Vivendi, the French company with some ownership of NBC, are ongoing. But paidContent also reports that former NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright expects Vivendi to negotiate the deal. That blog additionally reports that Comcast executives said repeatedly during their third-quarter earnings call that they would be “disciplined” with any acquisition.

After the jump, Congressman Bob Brady backs a Comcast cause, the company’s third-quarter earnings call and a dozen other Comcast stories worth noting.

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Comcast Roundup: Uh, yeah, Comcast probably won’t buy Sprint and Time Warner, Diane Sawyer and More

Updated: 9/17/09 @ 6:24 p.m. about Delaware County upgrade

Every Thursday morning, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup.

Note: Loyal fans of our Comcast Roundup — and our Web metrics show there are many of you — can now get an e-mail subscription of your Thursday morning update. That is, of course, just a specialty subscription, in addition to our full site e-mail subscription and its RSS feed. If there are any problems, questions or suggestions, please contact us or leave us a comment below. Thanks.

Let Comcast build up some reserve capital, add time and watch the speculation blossom. Ready for this?

The Inquirer’s Joey DiStefano reports on an analyst’s report that says Comcast should buy Time Warner Cable. A Barrons blogger then asks if that would ever happen — noting some doubts it could gain regulatory approval.

DSL Reports moves on from that right quick and wonders why Comcast doesn’t purchase Sprint instead. Silicon Alley Insider instead covers why T-Mobile wants to make the Sprint grab. Gigaom tries to give the final say by describing why they say Comcast should go after Sprint instead of T-Mobile.

The trouble is that much of the discussion isn’t based on anything more than how much fun it is to talk about multi-billion dollar, fantasized mega mergers.

After the jump, Comcast wants to make TV mobile, a Diane Sawyer spotting and six other Comcastic stories.

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Comcast Roundup: Inqy helps bring Phillies baseball to retirement home, NBC Sports is pissed and More

Every Thursday morning, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup.

Ninety-four-year old Jessie Foyle probably wouldn’t get a personal patch into her beloved Phillies games from Comcast if not for old media, it might be fair to guess.

The “legendary” fan now lives in a city retirement home that has a subscription with DirecTV, which doesn’t send nearly as many televised games from the Phightins as the ‘Cast, but, as Inquirer columnist Dan Rubin wrote last week, Taylor got some special treatment after he wrote a column early this month about her dilemma.

Six residents and four guests showed up for the first showing against the Cubs, Rubin reported, after Comcast wired the home so they could get all the Phillies games.

“We made an exception with [her retirement home],” Jeff Alexander, a Comcast spokesman, told Rubin. “We took into consideration the fact that Mrs. Foyle is such a legendary fan and the property was quick to partner with us.”

Rubin, a newspaperman of the truest order and a Hell of a columnist to boot, brought the popcorn.

After the jump, more Comcast iPhone app buzz, ESPNU on board and eight more Comcast stories for the faithful.

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