Verizon EVDO RevB, less LTE rollout?

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2033

More reports out that Verizon is considering EVDO RevB in addition to LTE and not doing as much LTE rollout. Says Sprint considering RevB too.

http://voice-quality.tmcnet.com/topics/phone-service/articles/85578-both-verizon-wireless-sprint-working-3g-evdo-rev.htm

If this isn't true, VZW and Sprint need to knock it down quick.

One thing for sure is that CDMA will be around for many years. To get rid of CDMA, they'd have to get 4G coverage to be as reliable as the current 3G coverage for voice. Don't see that happening for many many years so maybe that's why they may as well throw RevB out there.

RevB is said to go to about 14Mbps but can be much more with bonding.

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2033

Verizon has responded...

Michael · Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 1:59 pm Post subject:

I always thought that the carriers would skip EVDO Rev B and go right to WiMax or LTE. It will be VERY interesting to see how this plays out.
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xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2033

Yeah, everyone thought RevB was dead years ago. But since ATT is able to get HSPA out fairly quickly to entire footprint (if they choose to), Sprint/Verizon could only keep up by putting out RevB tactically while building 4G for the long term.

Since CDMA will be around for 'another decade', why not go for it if it doesn't cost much to deploy? Qualcomm may have come up with a very cost effective way to do it. And perhaps with simultaneous voice/data. That would be worth a second look.

n6gn · Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 2:46 pm Post subject:

From what I know of rev B, it is really 'bonded' rev A. Thus it can use the same general site hardware, though requiring different user equipment.

However, since it allows a single user to obtain the benefits of more site hardware, going to rev B puts further strain on the over-subscription/sharing problem already obvious with revs 0 and A. If two, rather than a single, RF carriers are used at one instant by a rev B user, then that user removes more of the existing resources from the everybody's pool. One user affects more users.
In that situation, a single user brings down the capacity of not just one but multiple RF carriers and those folks who were trying to use them!
Given the capacity limitations already evident within EVDO, I have a hard time imagining that the 'greater speed' attraction of rev B will stand up against the 'worse capacity' it creates.
Or put another way, does the additional revenue provided by a rev B user happy about his (less frequent) higher speed service more than compensate for other users experiencing a reduction in capacity? In sparse regions perhaps but in general, I doubt it.

n6gn

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2033

Yeah, I was wondering if the spectrum used for EVDO is already maxed out. Might depend on market. In less dense areas or certain markets, they may be able to do RevB and in the cities, continue with the 4G path.

Any Sprint or Verizon 4G phone that comes out for the next decade will have to have CDMA, so they may as well require a RevB radio whether they can fully utilize it or not. They can manage the load/mode at the site. Probably better to have the option to use the RevB radio in the device than to not have it at all.

Likely wouldn't be revenue generating, but they do need to keep inline with ATT able to get faster speeds out of 3G. If Qualcomm has a cheap solution, might be doable.

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2033

Sprint has responded....

TheExoticFish · Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:20 pm Post subject:

Wonder why Sprint would want to do LTE ? Rolling Eyes