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Verizon and Vodafone evolve together towards the fourth generation
01 February 2008
The mobile world was surprised at the end of 2007 when Verizon decided to break from its traditional wireless technology path and join the GSM community's route to 4G. Dick Lynch, CTO of Verizon Wireless and now of the whole group, tells Alan Burkitt-Gray of his decision to work with Vodafone on the industry's long-term evolution to the next generation
Dick Lynch: 4G equipment trials this year, infrastructure in operation 2010-11
Talk to many financial analysts and you'd think that Verizon Wireless and Vodafone were locked in an unhappy marriage that both were seeking the most opportune time to end.
Vodafone owns a 45% share in Verizon Wireless, and has done for years. Yet some shareholders have from time to time called on Vodafone to sell its stake and give them the money. Meanwhile the Verizon group has sometimes seemed uncomfortable with the idea that a UK company owned such a big chunk of its mobile business.
The idea of an estrangement has been strengthened by the fact that the two companies have always used different technologies.
Vodafone is a GSM company, through and through. It was one of the founders of the project to develop the Europe-wide mobile that has now spread around the world. Verizon Wireless, on...
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