Nation's Fastest and Most Reliable 4G LTE Network Launches Today in Fort Myers Area

FORT MYERS, Fla., Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning today, Verizon Wireless customers in the Fort Myers area can take advantage of the Verizon Wireless 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, the fastest and most reliable 4G network in the nation. The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network allows customers to share music and photos, surf the Web and download files up to 10 times faster than before.  

The 4G LTE network will be available at launch to customers in these cities and towns:

The company's 4G LTE network has been serving customers at the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers since late last year.

"We are proud to bring the largest 4G LTE network in the nation to Fort Myers and help lead residents, small businesses and local government into the next generation of wireless connectivity and communication," said Pam Tope, Florida region president of Verizon Wireless. "Our 4G LTE network is revolutionizing the way our customers communicate, enabling them to connect faster and more fully with each other and those outside our community."

Expanding coverage

Verizon Wireless began introducing its 4G LTE network in late 2010. With a consistent focus on growth and reliability, the company has quickly expanded its 4G LTE network and by mid-November 2011 will cover a total of 178 metropolitan areas nationwide.

In Florida, Verizon Wireless already has launched 4G LTE high-speed services in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Sarasota, Bradenton, Daytona Beach and Lakeland.  

Speed and Reliability

In real-world, fully loaded network environments, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE customers should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.  

When customers travel outside of a 4G LTE coverage area, devices automatically connect to the Verizon Wireless 3G network, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast.  Verizon Wireless' 3G network is the largest, most reliable high-speed data network in the country and allows customers in 3G coverage areas who purchase 4G LTE devices today to take advantage of 4G LTE speeds when the faster network becomes available in their city.

4G LTE Devices and Plans

Residents of Fort Myers can choose from numerous 4G LTE-enabled devices to access the high-speed 4G LTE network, including notebooks, netbooks,  hotspots, modems, tablets, and smartphones such as the new DROID BIONIC^™ by Motorola and Pantech Breakout^™. Details on each device can be found at www.verizonwireless.com/4GLTE. Nationwide talk and data plan pricing information is available at www.verizonwireless.com/plans.

For more information about 4G LTE services in Fort Myers, visit a Southwest Florida Verizon Wireless store, or go to www.verizonwireless.com/lte.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless