Verizon Wireless, the US’s largest mobile phone operator, has begun technical trials of its 4G LTE network in five US cities, including Boston and Seattle.
The operator has not yet named the other three cities.
The Boston trials are reported to have produced average download speeds of between 5-12Mbps and average upload speeds of 2-5Mbps. The speeds are faster than 3G, but not as high yet as the maximum the technology is expected to provide.
Verizon’s next step is to begin ‘friendly user trials’, which will give customer feedback from on how the network performs.
The operator is the first US network to start constructing an LTE network. It has plans to provide the service in 25 to 30 US cities by the end of 2010. Verizon expects to have covered its current 3G network with LTE by the end of 2013.