Verizon’s 4G LTE service available to two-thirds of U.S. population with expansion

By Mike Flacy April 17, 2012

4g phones verizon — Image used with permission by copyright holder

As mentioned within a press release earlier today, Verizon is introducing 4G LTE into 27 new markets this week in addition to improving the data service within 44 markets around the United States. When this expansion is completed on April 19, sixty-six percent of the U.S. population will be able to take advantage of the faster download speeds offered by a 4G data connection. Major markets that will receive an upgrade to existing 4G coverage this week include Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego, Nashville, Portland, Salt Lake City, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis, Boston, Detroit, Las Vegas, Albuquerque and New York City.

Markets that will receive 4G LTE service for the first time this week include:

With this expansion, Verizon now offers 4G LTE service to 230 markets and is still moving much faster than competitors like AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. For instance, AT&T has covered 32 markets with the high speed upgrade, but plans to double that amount before the end of 2012. Sprint plans to have 4G coverage available to 120 million U.S. consumers by the end of 2012 and T-Mobile is waiting until 2013 to embrace 4G upgrades within the network. Similar to AT&T current plan of action, T-Mobile is relying on HSPA+ technology to provide faster data speeds than 3G during the interim. For instance, AT&T HSPA+ service allows iPhone 4S owners to connect to a faster connection labeled “4G” while AT&T works on expanding LTE coverage prior to the upcoming revision of the popular Apple smartphone.

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