14 DAY TRIAL // On Monday, the GSMA appointment of Dick Lynch, EVP and CTO of Verizon to the GSMA’s Board. Recently, Verizon has become a full member of the GSMA, due to its commitment to deploying commercial services based on the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, and Lynch’s appointment is the result of that. The wireless carrier is set to deploy LTE, the next-generation technology for Mobile Broadband, during the ongoing year.
“We are delighted to welcome Dick and Verizon to the GSMA Board,” said Rob Conway, CEO and member of the Board of the GSMA. “A leader in the worldwide mobile communications industry through its delivery of innovative new services and as an early adopter of advanced technologies such as LTE, Verizon brings additional depth and experience to the GSMA Board. Dick’s expertise and leadership will be a tremendous asset as we work to identify and capitalise on new opportunities for our industry.”
Lynch has an experience of around 40 years in the mobile communications industry. The wireless carrier is set to roll-out LTE in 25 to 30 markets across the US in 2010 under his leadership. The number of markets in which the new technology would be available should double within 15 months from the initial launch, the carrier announced, adding that LTE should cover its entire 3G footprint by the end of 2013, covering 285 million Americans.
“It is an honour to serve on the GSMA board. I expect that our new relationships with the broad global family of wireless companies will bring benefits to the American marketplace. This collaboration and outreach is significant as we build a full ecosystem around LTE, bringing together partners to build and grow our network, design new products, and put together the incredible new services that will make our lives better,” Lynch commented.
The LTE technology is expected to be widely available around the world in the near future, with 100 operators already committed to plans, trials or deployments. The first commercially available LTE network was rolled-out in Sweden in 2009 by TeliaSonera. This year, carriers like NTT DoCoMo and China Telecom, along with Verizon, should make their LTE networks available. The number of LTE connections is expected to top 72 million by end of 2013, a recent report from Infonetics Research shows.