Verizon Cites Growth in the LTE Rural Partner Program

Verizon announced all 21 participants in its LTE in Rural America (LRA) program have now launched commercial service.

The program was first launched 5 years ago with a goal of helping rural wireless companies across America drive innovation through advanced 4G LTE technology.

“The LRA program has positively impacted the lives of Americans from Maine to Alaska, and we’re very proud to be a part of that,” said Philip Junker, executive director of strategic alliances at Verizon and a leader of the LRA program. “Verizon has always been a responsible steward of spectrum resources. We had a vision of partnering with the rural carrier community, we put our resources behind that vision, and we delivered what we promised for our customers.”

Some stats on Verizon’s LRA program:

• 225,000 square miles of Verizon’s spectrum is leased by LRA participants across 169 rural counties in 15 states
• 1,000+ 4G LTE cell sites have been activated, covering an area larger than Colorado
• 2.7 million people are covered by those cells sites
• More than 50 wireless devices have been certified, including smartphones, tablets and connected devices

http://www.verizon.com/news