14 DAY TRIAL // Mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless recently announced a major network enhancement in the Midlands of South Carolina. According to the company, it has rolled-out a number of 55 new cell towers that should expand its voice and data network in the area. The new improvements should result in better indoors coverage, faster speeds and better signal for its customers in Bethune, Bishopville, Blythewood, Camden, Cassatt, Cayce, Chapin, Columbia, Eastover, Gadsden, Gaston, Gilbert, Irmo, Leesville, Lexington, Little Mountain, Lugoff, Pelion, Sumter, West Columbia and Westville.
“The best network continues to get better,” said Jerry Fountain, Verizon Wireless Carolinas Region President. “We are committed to continuing enhancements to our network so that our customers know they can depend on us every time they use their wireless devices. With the addition of these towers, we have achieved network enhancements in just one year that would have taken several years to complete through a typical build plan.”
The wireless carrier is trying to keep up with the increasing demand for data usage on mobile devices. According to Fountain, people are no longer using their handsets only as mobile phones, but also for downloading applications, music or videos, browsing the Internet, texting, emailing or playing games. All of these activities increase the strain on the carrier's network. “With this integration, combined with our annual capital investments over the past several years, we are ready for today’s traffic and the increases we anticipate tomorrow,” Fountain stated.
Along with the great investments in its 3G network, Verizon is also moving forth with its plans for the deployment of a LTE network. The carrier already announced the move, and 2010 should bring 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology to a number of around 25 to 30 markets in the United States. The new technology would bring faster download and upload rates into the mix, enabling more complex applications, the carrier stated.