Verizon Wireless Data-Only WWAN With 4G Will Also Support 3G

With all this talk about the next step in wireless technology, 3G seems to have taken a backseat for the time being. We've got all sorts of new technology rolling out at this point, with LTE and WiMAX the main focus (really, the only focus), but what about 3G? Are we forgetting about the technology that got us to this point? Verizon Wireless has an answer to that question, and believe us, it's a good one.

When 4G becomes the standard for Verizon here in the new future, obviously the fun, and insanely useful data-only WWAN devices will be 4G-oriented. But, Verizon Wireless has gone ahead and confirmed, straight from Tony Melone (Verizon's Senior VP and CTO), that the devices will go ahead and fall back on 3G, if you happen to find yourself out of an LTE-based area. That means the aircards, MiFi products, and USB data sticks will all benefit from this. Which means, basically, that we all benefit from this.

The big question is going to be about pricing, in reality. With the existence of next-generation technology like LTE, Verizon Wireless is going to want to make up a bit of the loss they'll take with upgrading towards, and constantly improving the technology. The best way to to do that, is to charge customers a bit more for their monthly access. We're just hoping it's not going to be over-the-top. Affording to use the technology is paramount for customers actually using the technology.

[via Engadget]