Verizon Wireless connects first call using next-generation network, to go commercial in 2010

Verizon Wireless uses new network for first time

NEW YORK — Verizon Wireless says it has completed the first calls using a brand-new network that’s planned to go live next year, offering faster Internet speeds.

The calls were made Friday in Boston and earlier in Seattle, using cell-tower equipment from Alcatel-Lucent and LM Ericsson AB. Prototype tablet-style handheld devices from LG Electronics Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. dialed in.

The calls used the 700 megahertz frequency band, just recently freed up for cellular use after being assigned to TV stations.

Verizon Wireless’ chief technology officer, Tony Melone, says the trials gave confidence that the commercial launch would yield average download speeds of 7 to 12 megabits per second, faster than current wireless broadband.