Verizon High Speed Internet - Wireless Broadband

The Facts

Verizon high speed internet (BroadbandAccess) is advertised as having "average download speeds of 600 Kbps - 1.4 Mbps and average upload speeds of 500 Kbps - 800 Kbps"

Naturally, speeds vary depending on your location. BroadbandAccess speeds though, are not available everywhere. In areas not yet covered by their EVDO Revision A network, Verizon provides NationalAccess. Here's a quick snapshot of how they match up:

Connection Type	Download Speed	Upload Speed
BroadbandAccess	600 Kbps - 1.4 Mbps	500 Kbps - 800 Kbps
NationalAccess	60 - 80 Kbps	unsaid (it's that slow)

The Fine Print

What they don't tell you is that Verizon internet speed has three tiers and not two. BroadbandAccess has two tiers of speed (EVDO Revision A, and EVDO Revision 0). EVDO Rev A speeds are what they market as 'average' and in the fine print they state:

"Rev. A capable device required for these speeds. With a non-Rev. A-capable device, expect typical download speeds of 400 - 700 Kbps and typical upload speeds of 60 - 80 Kbps."

Quote The take home lesson here is to be sure you get an EVDO Revision A Broadband Card to see the most out of Verizon's high speed internet.

If for whatever reason you don't, your possible speeds will look more like:

Connection Type	Download Speed	Upload Speed
EVDO Revision A	600 Kbps - 1.4 Mbps	500 Kbps - 800 Kbps
EVDO Revision 0	400 Kbps - 700 Kbps	60 - 80 Kbps
NationalAccess	60 - 80 Kbps	Virtually non-existant

To see how your current speed matches up, use the tool below:

To compare Verizon Wireless Broadband Speed against other providers, see our carrier comparison.

Also of grave importance to users who rely heavily on Verizon wireless internet is a clause in the terms of service:

"If your usage on a Data Plan or Feature that does not include a specific monthly Megabyte allowance or that is not billed on a pay-as-you-use basis exceeds 5 Gigabytes per account line during any billing period, we reserve the right to reduce throughput speed to a maximum of approximately 200 Kilobits per second for up to thirty days."

Quote Simply put, Verizon may limit your speed below 3G standards if you go over a 5GB usage cap in addition to overage charges.

Those are some pretty tough speed limits to impose when your carrier is ranked as the third fastest of the bunch. This may change however, as they get ready to implement LTE (Long Term Evolution), a 4G technology, in 2010. They will probably have competition as AT&T plans to do the same.

For more facts and fine print, check and see if Verizon Wireless coverage will be everywhere you need it...