Verizon Blankets Two-Thirds of Population in 4G

Verizon Wireless says that its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network will cover two-thirds of the U.S. population from this coming Thursday.

The operator is bringing its LTE service, which allows users to download videos and music and surf the Web at speeds of 5 to 12 Mbit/s, to 28 new markets and expanding it in 11 existing 4G cities.

On Thursday, May 17, Verizon Wireless will debut the faster data network in Houma/Thibodaux and Lake Charles, La.; Hyannis/Mid-Cape, Mass.; Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.; Biloxi/Gulfport/Pascagoula and Oxford, Miss.; Atlantic City/Toms River, N.J.; Dickinson and Williston, N.D.; Ashtabula, Bucyrus and Defiance, Ohio; Eugene/Springfield, Ore.; Lancaster, New Castle, Northern Cambria County, Oil City/Franklin, Somerset and York, Pa.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Mitchell, S.D.; Paris, Texas; Burlington/Northern, Vt.; Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Martinsville and Staunton/Waynesboro, Va.; and Sheridan, Wyo.

The operator is also adding 4G coverage to existing LTE markets in Denver, Colo.; Dover, Del.; Fort Myers and Lakeland, Fla.; Hagerstown, Md.; Canton, Lima, Mansfield, Toledo and Youngstown/Warren, Ohio; and Erie, Pa.

Verizon says this means its network is available in 258 cellular markets in the U.S. The operator is planning to have the network available in more than 400 markets, spanning 49 states, by the end of 2012.

Why this matters
All of the major carriers are trying to claim the largest or best "4G" network in the U.S. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), for instance, is advertising its "blended" service of some LTE cities with a larger high-speed packet access-plus (HSPA+) network to fall back on as "the nation's largest 4G network." (See What We Mean When We Say '4G' and 4G: Just a Marketing Term?)

LTE is the 4G technology that carriers across the U.S. -- and the world -- are all upgrading to, but Verizon can lay claim to the largest LTE footprint in the U.S. by far.

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— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile