Verizon's LTE network—short for Long Term Evolution—is fast. It's very fast. We've previously reported that you can blow through your entire five-gigabyte monthly allotment of data in about 32 minutes, with download speeds on our own tests maxing out at around 21 Mbps.
Well, perhaps we should have said "34" minutes, because Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said late last week that those using USB modems on their laptops could experience delays of up to two minutes when switching between 3G coverage and Verizon's LTE network. As well, Business Insider's Matt Rosoff has reported that one sometimes has to physically unplug and reconnect said USB modem in order to switch back to the LTE network.
According to Nelson, a fix for the issue is currently being looked into. As well, the company expects to release USB modem drivers for those running Apple's OSX "relatively soon," he said. Verizon currently sells two different USB modems—a device from Pantech and a device from LG—and it's unclear whether the issue affects both equally or whether one device outperforms the other. Rosoff's issues occurred on the LG version of the modem, for what it's worth.
It currently costs users $250 to pick up either device sans contract. A two-year service agreement discounts either of the two USB modems to approximately $100. However, a user will then be paying—at minimum--$50 per month for Verizon's five-gigabyte data plan. The ten-gigabyte plan jumps up to $80, and both plans come with a $10 per gigabyte penalty for going over the monthly allotment.
On our own roundup of LTE testing around the country, we've noted that the network's download speeds can hover anywhere from five to 12 Mbps, with upload speeds sitting somewhere in the two to five Mbps range.
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