The newest phone to come to Verizon Wireless, the Samsung Galaxy S4, will be the first handset to use the mobile carrier’s latest network upgrade which is expected to more than double internet speeds, according to Bloomberg.com.
According to Verizon’s Vice President of Network Support Mike Haberman, the Galaxy S4 has certain attributes that give it the opportunity to function on the Advance Wireless Service spectrum from Verizon. He added the phones will need an upgrade to join the AWS frequency.
Verizon has already begun work on the new upgrade, using both existing AWS airwaves and some it obtained from a bunch of cable companies in 2012.
The United States’ biggest mobile phone carrier is using the AWS airwaves to help expand its long-term evolution—better known as LTE (the three letters usually seen next to the 4G on many smartphones)—network. According to Haberman, the company must keep up with the growing traffic on the Verizon network. He says by 2016, the amount of people on the LTE network will have increased to six or seven times the amount it is currently.
Verizon plans to put more mobile devices on the expanded network. However, the Galaxy S4 is the only one with the capabilities to use the network as of right now.
Verizon began selling the Galaxy S4 on May 28. Consumers can get what Samsung calls the “next big thing” from Verizon for $199.99 when they begin a new two-year contract.
The Galaxy S4 is the latest chess move from Samsung—based in Suwon, South Korea—in its smartphone duel with Apple Inc. According to Samsung, it has already shipped more than 10 million units of the phone.
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