Verizon Chairman to FCC: LTE-U, Wi-Fi Can Coexist Now

Earlier in Nov, Verizon chairman Lowell McAdam met with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler to assure him that the company is committed to peaceful coexistence with Wi-Fi. Verizon has been part of a group that includes T-Mobile and Qualcomm -- pushing for deployment of LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U), which would be mobile broadband's answer to the Wi-Fi broadband hot spots that have become wired broadband's mobile play of choice.

In the meeting, according to an ex parte filing with the FCC, McAdam and other Verizon executives talked up their "strong commitment" to Wi-Fi and said that they continued to collaborate to ensure that LTE-U coexists successfully with Wi-Fi. Verizon does not need the FCC's permission to deploy the technology, but will need the FCC to sign off on the new Smart Phones that will be needed to receive it. Cable operators have told the FCC that, while they are not opposed to LTE-U, they are not convinced that it can be deployed without interfering with Wi-Fi.