Verizon LTE 4G Problems May Delay Apple iPhone 5 Release

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But Verizon Wireless has had issues, including three separate LTE 4G network outages in December. Most of those have been less than 24 hours, but there was another major failure on Verizon’s 4G network in April. The company blames the problems on its pioneering nature.

“Being the pioneers, we’re going to experience some growing pains,” said Verizon VP of network engineering Mike Haberman, according to GigaOM.  “These issues we’ve been experiencing are certainly regrettable but they were unforeseeable.”

That’s undoubtedly right. As GigaOM’s Kevin Fitchard notes, Verizon’s new network is complicated.

“Verizon’s IMS systems are a complex network of databases, servers, routers, gateways and policy managers supplied by multiple vendors,” Fitchard writes in GigaOM. “Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia Siemens Networks, Acme Packet and Tekelec all provide different parts, but Haberman declined to identify which particular elements or which particular vendors were responsible for the problems. In fact, Haberman defended Verizon’s vendors saying that they were experiencing the same LTE growing pains as Verizon.”

Verizon is planning to update its IMS software and taking other steps to minimize outages, but one can’t help but believe that Apple has no interest in releasing its LTE 4G compatible iPhone until the network outage issues are solved. Sure, users would understand its the network not the iPhone, but Apple also understands its product would suffer the consequences.

Gadget design, release and features can’t get beyond the infrastructure required to use them accordingly. Therefore, it’s reasonable to think that Apple has the iPhone 5 ready and waiting as many have suspected yet the company will determine when to release the product in 2012 or beyond according to when LTE 4G networks like Verizon’s are running more smoothly.

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