As the city of Valdosta grows, so does the amount of technology available to its residents. Verizon Wireless introduced 4G LTE to Valdosta and the surrounding areas on August 16.

“For Valdosta State students and the Valdosta community, Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE allows them to surf the Web, stream music and video, quickly access over-the-air applications, and stay in touch with family and friends at speeds up to 10 times faster than before,” Kate Jay, Verizon’s public relations manager for the Georgia/Alabama Region, said. “For example, you can now upload a 10MB PowerPoint presentation in 10 seconds [or] download a song in four seconds or upload a picture in six seconds.”

 “For the business community, LTE gives employees the ability to work at significantly faster speeds and improved responsiveness, increasing productivity and the opportunity to get work done where their business takes them,” she said. “What used to tie employees to their offices, they are now able to do wirelessly with 4G LTE.”

 Tyler Morgan, a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major, is a Verizon customer who is very excited about the service upgrade. She says that everything about her service is better, from web surfing to sending and receiving text messages.

Morgan did say that if Verizon were to revoke 4G capabilities, she would move to another carrier.

 There has been some confusion about the benefits of the upgrade.

 “The ‘G’ in 3G and 4G stands for its generation of the mobile technology,” Jay said. “4G is the fourth generation of wireless network technology. The 2G and 3G networks were each an improvement, but 4G is a huge leap forward, bringing exponentially faster speeds and vastly greater bandwidth.”

According to Jay, “There are many wireless technologies called ‘4G,’ which has caused confusion in the space. 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the most advanced wireless network technology available, and Verizon is currently the leader, offering more 4G LTE coverage than all other competitors’ networks combined.”

Amba Nobles, a sophomore biology major, has an iPhone 4S from Sprint. While the phone itself is 4G capable, Sprint does not offer 4G in the Valdosta area. Nobles is not happy about this situation.

“I don’t know if the Sprint tower is down or what but I can’t send messages,” she said. “Calls get dropped; my phone just doesn’t work.”

However, some customers from other carriers don’t mind the upgrade.

Meme James, a sophomore undecided major, has an iPhone 4 from Sprint. Even though Valdosta now has 4G service with Verizon, James is sticking with Sprint partly because she has a contract with the company and partly because she has no interest in 4G.

Another new feature the company is has brought to Valdosta is HomeFusion Broadband.

“HomeFusion Broadband is a residential Internet solution that uses Verizon’s 4G LTE network to bring reliable, high-speed Internet service to customers with limited broadband options,” Jay said. “It offers a cost-effective, reliable alternative for data connectivity in Valdosta and surrounding areas.  Using the Verizon 4G LTE network, HomeFusion Broadband provides connectivity for a wide range of devices, including computers and gaming consoles.”

For more information about Verizon coverage and services, check out the company’s webpage at http://www.verizonwireless.com.