Convergence Technologies announces rural partnership with Verizon Wireless

Convergence Technologies, a US network provider, has announced that it has signed up to the Verizon Wireless LTE in Rural America Program. As part of the deal, CTI will provide LTE to rural communities in Indiana that are within the IN-5 Cellular Market Area.

Under the agreement, Verizon will lease to CTI its 700MHz upper C block wireless spectrum in those areas where Verizon has not previously built up a network.

CTI, which has been providing fixed and wireless backhaul networks in the region, has budgeted US$18m for a Broadband Stimulus Project to bring LTE to areas of Illinois and Indiana that previously lacked high speed wireless internet. CTI has said it expects speeds to reach 12Mbps for downloads and 5Mbps for uploads.

“In addition to offering voice and high-speed broadband services, 4G LTE technology will enable a variety of innovative value-added services within the mobile ecosystem, ” said Charles Wu, chief executive of Convergence Technologies, in a statement.  “CTI plans on capitalizing on this by combining its 4G mobile carrier assets with its IP Pay payments platform, currently processing over $500 million in annual volume, to develop a mobile payments solution to address a market projected to exceed $280 billion in North America by 2014.”

Once the network is activated, CTI’s LTE customers will be able to roam on the Verizon Wireless LTE network throughout the US, and vice versa.

Verizon had 29.73 per cent of the US wireless market in March 2011, according to Informa data.

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