May 11, 2010 08:58 ET

Both Verizon Wireless and Sprint Working on 3G EVDO Rev B, According to Telecom Pragmatics

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwire - May 11, 2010) -  Astonishingly, there appears to be cracks at the top of the Verizon Wireless management over whether its full plans for 4G are guaranteed, according to a report by Telecom Pragmatics. In particular there seems to be growing opposition to a nationwide play. The thinking is that LTE can be done in selected areas, while moving to EVDO Rev B for the other parts of the country.

The study says, the important aspect to keep in mind is that Verizon is apparently not going to throw away its 3G network and go with LTE completely. It will try to get as many customers on each infrastructure as possible. LTE will be used to target high-end customers and then employ the 3G network to supplement.

The report further states, Sprint is also working on Rev B now (in addition to WiMAX and evidently, LTE). The basic 3G system remains the same -- just the Rev A card is replaced with the Rev B card. The catch to Rev B is that apparently a different handset is going to be needed in going to VoIP, probably a major reason Verizon initially leapfrogged to LTE.

The consulting company published this information in a recent issue of 4G Backhaul Network Strategies Monthly. Its authors include Sam Greenholtz, John Griffin, Eric Lampland, Mark Lutkowitz, and David Gross.

Telecom Pragmatics is an independent research firm specializing in telecommunications markets and related technologies since 2003.