Verizon Gears Up for the Next Generation

In this slideshow from Barclays Capital Global Communications, Media & Technology Conference, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) discusses it growth plans for the coming year. With its landline business stagnating, where's Verizon's growth coming from?

Any smartphone buyer could tell you: Data's the key growth driver. Between the first quarter of 2009 and 2010, data revenue grew 26.4% as the company saw strong growth of data-heavy smartphones such as the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid. Also, the company sees great advantages in the spectrum it bought for its next-generation 4G technology. Verizon plans on rolling out this next generation technology to at least 25 markets by the end of the year, far ahead of rival AT&T (NYSE: T), who is targeting deployments across 2011.

With rumors of Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone coming to its network, possibly with built-in chips to connect to Verizon's 4G network, it's no surprise the company is rushing to push the technology forward. For more on Verizon's upcoming plans, view the slideshow below.