Dan Mead told the Jefferies 2013 Global Technology Media and Telecom Conference in New York City Wednesday that the operator regards small cells as "complementary" to its larger 4G LTE networks.

Small cells are tiny base stations that can be deployed in high-traffic areas to increase call capacity and data speed.

"We're going to have small cells deployed in our network later this year," Mead says. He says the deployment of the tiny radios will become more dense in 2014. (See Verizon Ready for LTE Small-Cell Advance.)

"We're going to be aggressive in that area," he said.

Mead talked about small cells after being asked whether the operator would need more dense LTE coverage for voice-over-LTE services. He once again reiterated that Verizon is planning to "commercialize" VoLTE services in 2014. (See Verizon Promises Voice-Over-LTE in 2014.)

"We’re going to make sure it's an exceptional experience," he said of the deployment, saying it will be a "value-add" service that will layer in video calling and other messaging updates.

He pointed out that Verizon has a 4G voice advantage over rivals because it has by far the largest LTE network in the U.S.

"You can't have VoLTE without the LTE network ... we're around 95 percent complete now," Mead says of Verizon's 4G deployment. The network is expected to be "substantially complete" by the end of the year.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile