Verizon Blames LTE 4G Network Problems on 'Growing Pains'
Dec 29, 2011, 8:27 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Verizon Wireless's VP of network engineering, Mike Haberman, blamed the three Long Term Evolution 4G network outages experienced this month on bugs in its IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core. Speaking to GigaOM, Haberman explained that the Dec. 7 outage was caused by a failure of its back-up communications database; the Dec. 21 failure was caused by an unresponsive IMS element; and the Dec. 28 failure was caused when two IMS elements failed to communicate properly. Once resolved, none of the bugs resurfaced, but they were severe enough to prevent customers from accessing the 4G network — and in some instances the 3G network — despite the fact that both networks were actually up and running. "Being the pioneers, we're going to experience some growing pains," Haberman said. "These issues we've been experiencing are certainly regrettable but they were unforeseeable." Haberman said that Verizon Wireless has begun segmenting its LTE 4G network into regions around the country that in the future bugs might take out small areas of the network rather than the entire thing. "Our goal is to ensure that our 4G networks meets the same high standard that our 3G network does," Haberman said to GigaOm. "We're not there yet, but we'll get there."
Comments
I'll take that--
muchdrama said:...
--as an excuse. These systems are designed by men. Men are fallible. It's a lot of tech to integrate. I'm not about to dump Verizon for a few hiccups after they've been the best network in the US for the past 10 yea
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A more accurate phrasing would be "We have zero quality control standards"
Take your pick, there's any one of the MiFi hotspots (I personally have a Novatel MiFi with them after a bad run with the ungodly bad Samsung equivalent) , which are hard pressed to make it through a day without a full factory re-set before they stop connecting to the network. Google "MiFi Disconnects" to see the hoardes of other people with the same problem, or simply look on VZW's website for even less-glowing reviews.
Then there's the KIN. Okay, so nobody (except two of my frien...
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bluecoyote said:...
Whether or not Verizon Wireless has the most reliable network I wouldn't be able to tell. I'm willing to believe the only way they've avoided the congestion issues AT&T faces is by peddling devices so bad they can
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Fanboi rant for the win!