Watch CBS News

Verizon Wireless Now Testing 4G LTE Network In Metro Detroit

SOUTHFIELD -- Each year, Verizon Wireless test men and women drive more than a million miles to monitor the company's and competitors' networks from coast to coast. Now, these test men and women have a new mission: to test and monitor the company's 4G LTE network reliability, as well as the high-speed data networks of competitors that use LTE and other technologies.

Verizon Wireless launched the 4G LTE network in the Detroit area last December.  The company has recently enhanced its fleet of test vehicles, including vehicles used to the test the metro Detroit network, with 4G testing and monitoring equipment to encompass all of the major operating networks in the United States today.

The data collected by local test men and women through mobile tests of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network will be used to measure network performance, benchmark with competitors', and assist the company's network engineers who are responsible for improvements and expansions of the Verizon Wireless network.

"We have introduced our 4G LTE network with the same commitment to quality and performance for which we have long been recognized," said John Granby, president of the Michigan-Indiana-Kentucky Region of Verizon Wireless. "By introducing 4G monitoring into our test drive program on top of our continued 1X and 3G network testing, our network team in the Detroit area can continue to provide the superior wireless experience our customers expect from Verizon Wireless."

Verizon Wireless is conducting 4G data tests in more than 140 cities where the company's 4G LTE network, the largest 4G LTE network in the nation, is currently available.  Verizon Wireless will expand its 4G LTE network testing program into new markets as they launch.  1X voice and 3G data testing continue in all markets.

The local test men and women are part of the largest single team of systems performance engineers deployed by a U.S. wireless service company.  Annually, the team travels more than one million miles in a fleet of about 100 test vehicles, and conducts more than 3.5 million voice call attempts and more than 19 million data tests on the Verizon Wireless network and the wireless networks of competitors in different markets across the country.  These test drive results help the company direct its multi-billion dollar network capital expenditure program, including placement of new cellular sites and expansion of existing call capabilities in growing communities.   Verizon Wireless has invested more than $65 billion in its network since the company was formed and more than $221.3 million in Michigan in 2010.

For more information about the Verizon Wireless network, visit http://aboutus.vzw.com/bestnetwork/overview.html, or follow Michelle Gilbert on Twitter at @VZWMichelle.

In Michigan, Verizon Wireless has more than 2,100 employees and 65 company-owned retail locations in more than 50 cities.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.