Verizon has converted all of its 1900MHz PCS spectrum to LTE in New York City. The carrier has transferred 10MHz of the aforementioned spectrum from 2G CDMA to the newer mobile network technology, leaving only the 850MHz band running on older technologies. By moving to LTE, this allows the network to provide better data services to its subscribers, as the amount of spectrum available directly affects the maximum download speeds offered by the firm. An increase in spectrum used by the company results in an increase in the data transfer rates. What surprised Wall Street analysts is that the carrier decided to refarm its frequency holdings now, as they have expected Verizon to convert all of its PCS band in New York City next year. It seems that the carrier has observed that the current amount of spectrum used for the LTE networks is not enough for the accelerating growth of mobile data consumption.
Aside from increasing the amount of spectrum available for its LTE service, Verizon is also implementing new technologies that should improve the data speeds on its network. Verizon boasts the largest number of small cells deployed across the United States. Small cells refer to a low-powered cellular network node that is commonly used to increase capacity in crowded areas. These nodes also fill in the gaps in areas that the larger base stations fail to cover, resulting in consistent and reliable connection across different locations. In addition, the company is also using carrier aggregation and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technologies to improve the download speeds on its network. The former combines different spectrum to increase the bandwidth available to the subscriber while the latter uses multiple transmitters and receivers to transfer more data simultaneously.
Verizon has also previously stated that it still has additional licensed frequencies that it could use to boost its LTE network. These frequencies are located in the 700MHz, 1700MHz, and 2100MHz bands, all of which were acquired within the last decade. While there is no word yet on when will these licenses be put into use, one can expect that the carrier is doing its best to deploy them as soon as possible.
Source: https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/08/verizon-converts-last-cdma-pcs-spectrum-lte-new-york.html