Verizon in Alaska: rolling out a scratch-built network.

• Author: Swagel, Will
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Telecom & Technology

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Alaskans embracing wireless technology should celebrate the advent of 4G LTE service in the Great Land. 4G LTE stands for Fourth Generation Long Term Evolution and the new technology promises much faster downloads than 3G service--five to ten times faster. Besides making music and movies stream more easily, the technology will facilitate a rash of new applications being developed, connecting mobile devices with such things as a "smart" house or "smart" car that can be controlled from anywhere.

Verizon Wireless, which already provides 4G LTE service to the Lower 48 and Hawaii, has been working to add the Last Frontier to its footprint since at least 2010 when the company purchased a 700MHz license covering the entire state. Verizon's 4G LTE roll out is set for this summer. The company bills itself as having the largest 4G LTE network in the nation, available to more than 200 million people.

This spring, Verizon was testing its newly-built 4G LTE towers in Juneau, greater Fairbanks, Anchorage, and the Mat-Su Valley. The company had built a brand new switching center in midtown Anchorage. Verizon has announced partnerships with Copper River Telecom, Matanuska Telephone Association, and Ketchikan Public Utilities.

"Expanding into Alaska gives us two things," says Demian Voiles, vice president for sales and operations for the Alaska region. "It allows our customers (outside of Alaska) to roam on a high quality network when they are visiting Alaska for business or recreation. We also see a strong business case for being in Alaska and providing competition in wireless communication."

Scratch-Built Network

Voiles says although Verizon has the largest 4G LTE network in the country, Alaska presented a unique opportunity to build a 4G LTE network from the ground up, instead of incrementally retrofitting 3G and earlier technology.

"This is the first time in the nation--anywhere--that a carrier has been able to build an all 4G LTE network from scratch and that's really exciting for us as a company," he says. "That applies to the new switching center we built in midtown Anchorage-all new equipment with the latest technology. The towers we are building for cell sites are in the optimal locations they need to be in to run 4G LTE."

Since 2011, Verizon has spent about $100 million planning, permitting, and building in Alaska, says Scott Charlston, Verizon's public relations manager, head of philanthropy, and head of employee...