Verizon Wireless is crowing about a big technology achievement today, and it has good reason to. It successfully made its first data calls using Long Term Evolution technology. This means our stairway to mobile heaven just got its first step.Long Term Evolution, or LTE, is the wireless networking technology that Verizon Wireless has chosen to power its next-generation network. Many of the world's wireless network operators have chosen LTE to be their fourth-generation (4G) technology. It offers blazing fast wireless uploads and downloads, with better bandwidth and capacity than today's 3G technology.

Verizon just took a big leap forward in its plans to deploy LTE across the U.S.

Using base station/radio access network tech from Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson, network equipment from Starent Networks and Nokia Siemens Networks, and devices from LG and Samsung, it successfully made its first data call via trial LTE networks in Boston and Seattle.

According to Verizon Wireless, it has 10 cell sites up and running in both Boston and Seattle, utilizing the 700MHz spectrum that it won in the 2008 wireless spectrum auction. Verizon notes that the calls involved streaming video, file uploads and downloads, and Web browsing. Verizon also successfully made data calls using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to enable voice transmissions over the LTE 4G network.

Verizon Wireless said it expects to launch its LTE 4G network in up to 30 markets at some point during 2010, covering approximately 100 million people. A full, nationwide built-out of LTE isn't expected to be complete until 2013.

Verizon competitors AT&T, T-Mobile and others have also chosen LTE for their 4G networking technology. AT&T has said that it will trial in 2010, with roll-outs expected to begin in 2011. Sprint has decided to hedge its bets with WiMax, which it is currently deploying in various markets around the U.S.