Verizon Wireless to launch 4G broadband for rural America

Verizon Wireless plans to launch a 4G network in 2010 that give will blanket coverage to the entire continental United States, including remote areas of rural America.

Currently, only about 38 percent of rural American households have access to high-speed internet connections – compared to around 57 percent of city dwellers and about 60 percent of people living in suburbs. The Verizon Wireless 4G coverage could close the gap between digital have and digital have-nots considerably.

That said, customers may have to wait a while for the new network. Verizon says it’s likely to follow a similar plan to the one use for its 3G network rollout, in which it began serving larger metropolitan areas before moving into smaller areas of population. Verizon says it intends to have a 4G network running in 20 to 30 markets by the end of 2010.