Verizon Completes LTE Calls in Boston, Seattle

It might not be as big as “Watson, come here, I want you,” but Verizon Wireless logged its own milestone on Thursday with the completion of its first data calls over its LTE trial network, in Boston and Seattle.

The operator said the calls carried VoIP, streaming video, file uploads and downloads, and Web browsing.

The VoIP aspect is particularly significant as it has been considered likely that most voice traffic will continue to run over CDMA even as Verizon sunsets its EV-DO network and switches data traffic to LTE. It also paves the way for a variety of Voice 2.0 mash-up applications.

Verizon’s launch of commercial LTE services will include up to 30 markets next year and 100 million people, with full national coverage available by 2013. It’s using the 700 MHz spectrum it won in the FCC auction in 2008.

Vendors for the trials include: Alcatel-Lucent (Boston) and Ericsson (Seattle) are providing the base station/radio access network, LG and Samsung are providing trial devices, and Starent Networks and Nokia Siemens Networks packet core network equipment. Devices from LG and Samsung will soon be supplemented by devices from ST Ericsson, Motorola and Qualcomm.