Verizon has formally announced the scheduled launch of its 4G LTE wireless network on Sunday, December 5th.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday morning, Verizon will offer a $50 monthly 4G plan for five gigabytes of data.
This particular deal bests the company’s already in place 3G plan and Sprint Nextel Corp.’s similar 4G offering by $10.
According to the WSJ report, Verizon will also offer an $80 monthly plan, which comes with a 10-gigabyte cap.
“Verizon Wireless is able to offer the five-gigabyte plan at a lower rate than its 3G plan because it costs less to deliver that wireless traffic on 4G,” Chief Technology Officer Tony Melone said.
Upon news of the 4G launch, many current and prospective customers flocked to the web to discover if 4G service will be available in their area.
“We’re the first to offer LTE at a scale that will make a difference and kickstart the ecosystem,” Melone added.
For the time being, however, launch markets for Verizon 4G LTE will cover 38 defined territories. Major cities getting coverage this weekend include New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles and in five dozen prominent airports across the US.
Verizon says the new 4G network will be 10 times faster than its current 3G network.
