

3 responses to “Verizon Launches New Network Extender with EV-DO Rev. A Support”

  1. Don Louie

    Doesn’t this one-up the Airvana that only DOr.0?

  2. Christopher Price

    To be honest, I think it’s not a big deal… technically yes, but realistically not much.

    EV-DO support on a femtocell is only going to aid devices that have EV-DO but not Wi-Fi. That is a quickly-dwindling number of devices. If you’re at home or the office, you’re probably using Wi-Fi already.

    Plus, in the cases where you have a device that is EV-DO Rev A, but lacks Wi-Fi, it typically does not have the processing power to handle the bump in speeds from Rev 0 to Rev A.

    I think Sprint made a smart cost-cutting move here, and one that will further encourage smartphone users to tap into Wi-Fi at home, as opposed to stressing Sprint’s femtocell network. Verizon, as a more premium carrier, is more likely to side on the other end of that tradeoff, and would rather invest in the added bandwidth needed.

  3. Christopher Price

    Also, to clarify, just like the original Network Extender, there are no access fees… but Verizon’s Network Extender operates similar to a standard tower. Minutes, data, and messaging used on Verizon’s Network Extender will be billed as if you were using any other VZW tower.