Modem 'hand-off' from 3G to LTE can take two minutes, Verizon says

11.12.2010
Verizon Wireless said on Friday that laptop users with USB modems on its may experience up to a two minute delay when switching over from a 3G coverage zone.

"Hand-offs can take up to a couple minutes, but that was expected and a fix is in the works," Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson told Computerworld by e-mail.

He also said Verizon is working on drivers for USB modems designed for the LTE network so that they work with Mac OS-based computers. "Mac is not yet supported, and we've been working on drivers for Mac OS for weeks, and expect to update relatively soon," Nelson said.

Otherwise, Nelson reported that there have been no problems on the LTE network, which . He said the network has been handling data "as expected," which was advertised at offering 5 Mbit/sec. to 12 Mbit/sec. of download speeds.

Some Boston-area testers have reported downloads of 20 Mbit/sec. and uploads of 5 Mbit/sec. on uncrowded networks, and generally Verizon's advertised speeds are being in various cities as well. (LTE is about 10 times faster than the 3G EVDO network, Verizon has said.)

One tester wrote in Business Insider that when moving into an existing 3G network zone (over Verizon's EVDO network) with a new USB modem plugged into a laptop .