Verizon Wireless was the first of the four major U.S. wireless companies to deploy LTE in any meaningful way, and competitors like AT&T and Sprint continue to play catch-up.
And while the spread of Verizon’s LTE coverage has taken longer than some had hoped, it’s now picking up steam in a big way:
Today, the company announced that its LTE network will cover “more than 70 percent of the U.S. population,” when new and expanded networks come online tomorrow.
This is great news for Verizon customers since most new smartphones and tablets sold by the carrier are compatible with LTE, which can offer blazingly-fast download speeds above 20Mbps under optimal conditions, far faster than 3G EV-DO or HSDPA.
After the break, you can see a list of cities where LTE will become available for the first time, in addition to locations where LTE coverage will be expanded.
From today’s Verizon press release:
The new markets launching on Thursday include: Hot Springs, Ark.; Redding, Calif.; Valdosta and Waycross, Ga.; Centralia and Danville, Ill.; Parsons, Salina and Topeka, Kan.; Alexandria and Monroe, La.; Pittsfield, Mass.; Battle Creek and Muskegon, Mich.; Mankato and Worthington, Minn.; Joplin and Sedalia, Mo.; Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot, N.D.; Chillicothe, Ohio; Reading, Pa.; Aberdeen, S.D.; Laredo, Odessa and Texarkana, Texas; Brattleboro and White River Junction, Vt.; Charlottesville, Va.; Longview, Wash.; and Eau Claire, La Crosse and Manitowoc, Wis.
The company will also expand its 4G LTE network in 38 markets on the same day. The expanded areas include: Los Angeles and Santa Barbara/Santa Maria, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Macon/Warner Robins, Ga.; Bloomington, Champaign/Urbana, Decatur/Effingham and Springfield, Ill.; Elkhart, Ind.; Des Moines, Iowa City and Sioux City, Iowa; Dodge City, Garden City and Great Bend, Kan.; Lexington and Louisville, Ky.; New Orleans, La.; Boston, Mass.; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; Missoula, Mont.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Manchester/Nashua, N.H.; Las Cruces, N.M.; New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah; Roanoke, Va.; Charleston, W.Va.; and Green Bay, Wis. Additional areas include: Little Rock, Ark., expanding into Batesville, Ark.; Tallahassee, Fla., expanding into Thomasville, Ga.; Burley, Idaho, expanding into Twin Falls, Idaho; Chicago, Ill., expanding into DeKalb, Ill.; and Cedar City, Utah, expanding into St. George, Utah.
