Verizon expands AWS spectrum deployment for LTE to 400 markets nationwide

Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) said it expanded its deployment of AWS spectrum to boost capacity for LTE service to 22 additional markets, making it available in four out of five of its LTE markets nationwide. Since the carrier has around 500 LTE markets in total, that brings the AWS deployment to roughly 400 markets.

The carrier did not name the 22 new markets in which it has deployed AWS spectrum. Verizon has dubbed its deployment of 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum for LTE its "XLTE" network to bolster capacity on its 700 MHz LTE network, which covers around 306 million POPs and is built in a 10x10 MHz configuration.

In August, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo noted that the carrier has deployed its AWS spectrum to augment capacity on its LTE network in most of the major cities across the country, and he said the carrier will be done with its AWS overlay by the end of the year. The carrier has been seeding its base with AWS-capable devices, and virtually all new LTE devices are XLTE ones.

In many markets, Verizon is deploying an additional 20 MHz or 30 MHz of capacity for LTE service. About 55 percent of Verizon customers use LTE devices, and LTE traffic now accounts for 79 percent of the company's total wireless data traffic.

Of course, Verizon is not the only carrier increasing capacity on its network for LTE, which also can lead to increased speeds for customers. T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) has 15x15 MHz LTE deployments in 17 markets and expects to have them in 26 by year-end. The carrier calls its 15x15 MHz LTE deployments "Wideband LTE." The carrier's overall LTE network now covers 235 million POPs, and the company aims to cover at least 250 million POPs by the end of 2014.

Meanwhile, by the end of the year Sprint (NYSE: S) aims to deploy two-carrier carrier aggregation on its 2.5 GHz spectrum for TD-LTE service, effectively doubling its channel sizes in that band and producing peak downlink speeds of around 100 Mbps. Sprint aims to deploy 2.5 GHz LTE to 100 million POPs by year-end. And AT&T Mobility (NYSE: T) also aims to make AWS spectrum a key element of its LTE capacity strategy going forward, to augment its own 700 MHz network.

For more:
- see this Verizon post
- see this PhoneScoop article

Related Articles:
T-Mobile's Carter promises 20x20 MHz LTE 'in all of our major metropolitan areas' - at some point
T-Mobile brings 'Wideband' 15x15 MHz LTE service to Las Vegas
Verizon to give rural LTE partners access to its AWS spectrum, 'XLTE' network
Verizon resolves massive billing system outage, rolls out XLTE to 300-plus markets
Verizon touts numbers behind its XLTE rollout