VZW EVDO in South Dakota is Official

I reported yesterday that EVDO appears to be here and today comes the official press release:

05/07/2008 Official Release
Verizon Wireless Launches First Phase Of Rollout Of Wireless Broadband Network In South Dakota

High-Speed Network Gives Verizon Wireless Customers Access to Fast Wireless Internet, E-mail, Mobile Music, Videos, and More

SIOUX FALLS, SD — Verizon Wireless announced today that it has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless network to Sioux Falls. This rollout marks the first phase of the company’s planned expansion of its wireless network in South Dakota. Over the next two months the rollout will include further coverage around Sioux Falls, contiguous coverage along Interstate 90 to Rapid City and coverage north of I-90 to Pierre.

“Sioux Falls represents a vital market with dynamic, tech-savvy business people, residents and students who want to stay connected,” said Nancy B. Clark, president – Great Plains region, Verizon Wireless. “The launch of our broadband network here provides our customers with access to the very latest wireless technology.”

The Sioux Falls high-speed network overlays the company’s existing data network within Minnehaha and Lincoln counties and extends north of Sioux Falls along Interstate 29 to 246th Street, west along I-90 to Buffalo Ridge, east along I-90 to State Highway 11, and south along I-29 to County Road 140.

With the wireless broadband network, Verizon Wireless customers in the area now enjoy two prime services:

* BroadbandAccess, the enhanced high-speed wireless service that equips Verizon Wireless’ business customers with a truly untethered mobile office experience, enabling them to wirelessly access their calendars, the Internet, e-mail, and critical business information residing behind their companies’ firewalls; and
* V CAST, a consumer-oriented multimedia service that gives customers access to the most comprehensive selection of downloadable music, high-quality videos and the coolest 3D games found anywhere.

BroadbandAccess
Based on Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access their corporate information as if they were attached to this data via a high-speed wired connection but with the freedom of true mobility. Developed with a range of users in mind, the service enables large enterprises, small- to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection.

With BroadbandAccess, business customers, residents and visitors to Sioux Falls can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment – the equivalent of a small PowerPoint® presentation or a large PDF file – in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.

BroadbandAccess also enables Verizon Wireless customers to download files significantly faster than customers of wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies. Furthermore, customers who travel outside the enhanced BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to the company’s NationalAccess service.

“Our enhanced BroadbandAccess service gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication – speed, mobility and security,” Clark said. “With these advantages comes an increase in productivity and bottom-line business benefits.”