Alltel Starting EVDO Rev. A Rollout

Alltel users can finally stop envying Verizon users (or soon to be fellow users) and Sprint as Alltel is finally rolling out EVDO Rev. A in certain areas. Verizon Wireless has had their networks at Rev. A for quite some time as well as most of Sprint’s network being Rev. A. The list of markets hasn’t been fully released but includes Charlotte, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Tampa.

For those who may not be familiar with EVDO Rev. 0 and Rev. A, here’s a quick rundown. EVDO Rev. 0 has average download speeds between 400-700Kbps with bursts of 2.4Mbps (which is rarely seen) in addition to low upload speeds with an average of 50-70Kbps and bursts up to 144Kbps. Rev. A, on the other hand, boosts everything with an average download speed between 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps and bursts up to 3.1Mbps and average uploads go up to 500-800Kbps with bursts to 1.8Mbps. Also as a side benefit is lower latency for better VoIP usage.

As a user of EVDO Rev. A (on Verizon’s network), I can attest to the fact that Alltel users will greatly appreciate this boost given that they can actually use it. Owners of the UTStarcomm UM150, Huawei EC228, HTC PPC6800, and HTC Touch will be able to benefit from the new upgrades through a simple software upgrade. An additional number thrown in is 82 percent: the number of potential customers that will have EVDO coverage compared to 76 percent now.

Via [Engadget Mobile]

Read [Alltel Press Release]