Verizon Wireless readying 4G high-speed wireless

Verizon Wireless will be introducing its brand of high-speed wireless broadband service in the state by the end of this year, as the wireless industry races to meet customer demand for instantaneous data traffic anywhere.

The technology, commonly known as 4G, will offer wireless speeds 10 times faster to the company's current 3G wireless technology.

It will be comparable to an office broadband connection, said company spokeswoman Karen Schulz. 4G will allow quick video downloads and video streaming anywhere on the Verizon Wireless network that's 4G enabled.

Verizon plans to introduce the service in Charlotte this year as part of a first wave of rollouts in 38 markets.

But the service will be limited to laptop computers equipped with upgraded air cards, until the company starts selling 4G-enabled smart phones next year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon Wireless is planning to offer Apple's iPhone, which has been locked into an exclusive agreement with AT&T since 2007.

The Triangle could get the 4G service from Verizon Wireless as early as next year, though the company is not announcing any other details at this time.

The 4G service will cover two-thirds of the country in the next 18 months, Verizon Wireless Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam said at an industry conference in San Francisco today, according to Bloomberg News.

Verizon Wireless and AT&T are the two largest cell phone companies in the country, but AT&T has yet to offer its 4G service.

In North Carolina, 4G has been available since last year from Time Warner Cable, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire Communications.