4G LTE network for US planned

The company revealed on Wednesday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that it would be aiming to roll out a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network within the next three years.

Both Alcatel and Ericsson are said to partnering with the company to put together the infrastructure for the new LTE network.

LTE networks, also referred to as 4G are among the class of wireless broadband systems which are being touted as eventual successors to the current 3G standards.

Sprint is currently working on constructing a 4G wireless network built on the WiMAX standard. Currently limited to the Baltimore area, the company recently wrapped up a deal with Clearwire to take the service nationwide.

LTE systems are said to allow for peak download rates of up to 100Mbps, compared to the 7.2Mbps speeds of most current 3G systems.

According to reports, Verizon hopes to begin testing the new network later this year in a pair of test markets.

By 2010 the company is reportedly hoping to expand its reach to as many as 30 markets.