Verizon expands 3G services with BroadbandAccess

Verizon's press release department must have been working overtime this past weekend in order to pump out all this news:

Tyler, Texas: Tyler Residents Can Now Enjoy High-Speed Wireless Internet, E-mail, Mobile Music and Gaming
Longview, Texas: Customers Can Now Get High-Speed Wireless Internet and E-mail Services, Download Video Clips and Songs to Handsets
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Surrounding Area: Customers Can Now Get High-Speed Wireless Internet and E-mail Services, and Download Video Clips and Songs to Handsets
Iraq: Verizon Business to Offer Free Calling During Holiday Season to U.S. Troops in Iraq

The first three articles all refer to Verizon's expansion of its EV-DO network to new markets, all seemingly launched on the same day. BroadbandAccess is the name of their high-speed wireless network, which boasts speeds of 400-700 kbps. Each press release mentions music, videos, games, Internet, and e-mail, but what is conspicuously absent is any mention of VoIP. After 3 Group partnered with Skype for 3G VoIP services, I had hoped that North American carriers would wise up and offer similar options. That doesn't seem to be the case just yet. Verizon continues to tie its subscribers to its own voice network, and although its voice quality may beat that offered by VoIP providers, it can't match the savings on international calls, which I will posit is what the mobile business user wants. It's about options. Let the users decide.

Verizon is also connecting families with their loved ones in Iraq for free over the holidays:

Verizon Business will provide the calls from Nov. 22 through 28 and
from Dec. 22 through Jan. 2. This is the fourth consecutive year that the
company is offering free holiday calls for military personnel in Iraq.
...
As a leading communications provider to the federal government, Verizon
Business has deployed to Iraq a state-of-the-art mobile communications
facility outfitted with phones to allow military personnel to make calls.
Verizon Business throughout the year makes technology, resources and
employee support available to military personnel and their families around
the world.

I hope Verizon's PR team can take a break today after all of yesterday's launches.

Categories: Verizon, 3G, Mobile Internet, Free Calls, EV-DO, 3 Group, Skype, VoIP, VoIP Service, VoIP Provider