Verizon high-speed network in Syracuse, NY

According to the article Syracuse is newest wireless hotspot in the Post Standard, Verizon is rolling out its EVDO service in Syracuse, NY. This is a good thing, since EVDO represents an upgrade to existing cell data service.

However, Verizon is also calling this service a “Hotspot”:

“This service basically makes all of the Syracuse area … one big hotspot,” said John O’Malley, a Verizon Wireless spokesman.

EVDO service is not a Hotspot. A Hotspot is high-speed, meaning at least 1mbps downstream (and some similar bandwidth upstream). EVDO provides at best 400-700kbps.

And while Verizon claims that EVDO is secure, this has little to do with the wireless technology. A Wi-Fi transmission can be made secure with any number of software technologies, including an office VPN.

And Verizon EVDO is 2-3 times more expensive then the most expensive Wi-Fi subscriptions.

Unfortunately, this article merely regurgitates misleading statements by Verizon.

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