Verizon sets date to roll out 4G in Springfield, Branson

Verizon Wireless plans to roll out its 4G long-term evolution network to the Springfield and Branson markets among 178 cities nationwide Nov. 17.

The service will cover Verizon users in the areas of Willard, Strafford, Battlefield, Nixa, Ozark, Sparta, Highlandville, Hollister, Kimberling City and Reeds Spring, according to a news release.

The company claims 4G is up to 10 times faster than its 3G network.

“We are proud to introduce our 4G LTE network to the Springfield-Branson area and help lead residents, small businesses and local government into the next generation of connectivity and communications technology,” said Brendan Fallis, Verizon Wireless president of the Kansas-Missouri region, in the release.

Verizon Wireless introduced its 4G network to more than 110 million Americans late last year. The service currently supports 13 devices, including the Pantech Breakout and Droid Bionic by Motorola, according to the release.

At peak usage, area customers should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second on the satellite downlink and 2 to 5 megabits per second on the uplink, the company said.

In the Springfield market, Verizon Wireless is competing with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. In AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA – which requires federal approval and was blocked for antitrust concerns by the Department of Justice in late August – AT&T officials say it would expand its 4G network to cover 97 percent of Americans and invest $8 billion in infrastructure development during a period of seven years. A court trial is set for Feb. 13, and AT&T has said it intends to complete the deal by September 2012, when at least $3 billion in financial penalties to T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom would be enforced.

Verizon Wireless is currently the nation’s leader in wireless subscribers with 106.3 million of the 327.6 million subscriber connections in the United States, as of June, according to CTIA-The Wireless Association. CTIA research shows the wireless communications industry topped $164 billion this year.

Shares of Verizon’s parent company, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), were trading at $36.53 as of 11:36 a.m. Its 52-week range is $31.60 to $38.95.[[In-content Ad]]