Verizon Wireless' new, nationwide LTE (Long Term Evolution) network will be the largest in the land, covering more area than the U.S. carrier's existing EVDO network, CTO Dick Lynch told PCMag.com Wednesday in advance of a keynote at the Mobile World Congress trade show.

Verizon Wireless will turn on its first 20 to 30 LTE markets in 2010, and the company is aiming to cover the entire continental U.S. and Hawaii with LTE by 2015, Lynch said.

While Verizon Wireless will definitely carry phones and PDAs on the LTE network, Lynch said he wanted to use it heavily for new wireless data applications, such as portable gaming systems, digital cameras, home security systems, and even refrigerators.

But Verizon's LTE network won't be as open as AT&T's and T-Mobile's current GSM networks. While anyone with a GSM-compatible device can just pop in an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card and get online, Verizon Wireless will still require that each LTE device be verified for Verizon Wireless' network, Lynch said.

When LTE officially launches, data rates will probably be cheaper, and plans will be very different than those currently on Verizon's existing network, Lynch said. For instance, Verizon may charge by byte transferred rather than charging high set monthly fees per device.