Verizon Wireless Launches 4G LTE in 26 New Markets and Makes Major Expansions in 3 Cities on September 15

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless is turning on the world's most advanced wireless network in 26 additional cities and expanding its network in San Francisco, Indianapolis and Cleveland/Akron on Thursday, Sept. 15, bringing the blazingly fast speed of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) to a total of 143 markets across the United States.  Consumers and businesses can choose from 11 4G LTE-enabled devices to connect to the fastest 4G LTE network in the country, including the new DROID BIONIC™ by Motorola which is the first Verizon Wireless smartphone to combine 4G LTE with the power of dual-core 1 GHz processors, 1 GB of RAM and a stunning 4.3-inch qHD display.

Starting Thursday, Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network will be available in Fort Smith and Jonesboro, Ark.; San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Daytona, Fla.; Bloomington, Champaign/Urbana, Rockford and Springfield, Ill.; the Quad Cities, Ill./Iowa; Iowa City, Iowa; Shreveport, La.; Kalamazoo and Saginaw, Mich.; Reno, Nev.; Las Cruces, N.M.; Fargo, N.D.; Canton, Lima and Mansfield, Ohio; Dyersburg, Tenn.; the Tri-Cities, Tenn./Va.; and Austin, Beaumont/Port Arthur, Wichita Falls and El Paso, Texas.  The company is also making major 4G LTE expansions on Thursday in San Francisco, Indianapolis and Cleveland/Akron.

"We've followed an aggressive roll out plan for our 4G LTE network, and consumers and businesses can connect today to the fastest 4G LTE network in the country with nearly a dozen devices," said David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless.  "Speed matters, and it matters when you're in your hometown as well as when you're on the road.  That's why it's important that you can connect over 4G LTE in 143 markets, from New York to San Francisco, and from Miami to Las Vegas."

4G LTE Devices, Speed and Coverage

Consumers can choose from 11 devices to access the blazingly fast speeds of the 4G LTE network, including:

• Smartphones: DROID BIONIC by Motorola, Revolution™ by LG, DROID Charge by Samsung and ThunderBolt™ by HTC
• Tablets: Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 with 4G LTE
• Notebooks and Netbooks: HP® Pavilion dm1-3010nr Entertainment PC and Compaq™ Mini CQ10-688nr with built-in 4G LTE
• Hotspots: Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi™ 4510L and Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH-LC11
• Modems: Verizon Wireless 4G LTE USB Modem 551L and Pantech UML290 USB modem

In real-world, fully loaded network environments, 4G LTE users 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, the devices automatically connect to Verizon Wireless' 3G network, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast.  Verizon Wireless' 3G network is the most reliable network in the country and allows customers in 3G coverage areas today who purchase 4G LTE devices to take advantage of 4G LTE speeds when the faster network becomes available in their areas.  

Reliability: In and Beyond Major Cities

As the first wireless company in the world to broadly deploy 4G LTE technology, Verizon Wireless is committed to building its 4G LTE network with the same performance and reliability for which it has long been recognized.  Verizon Wireless' consistent focus on reliability is based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined deployment approach year after year.  The company's 700 MHz spectrum gives Verizon Wireless specific advantages with 4G LTE, including a contiguous, nationwide network license.  

Verizon Wireless' vision also includes bringing its 4G LTE network beyond major cities.  The company is working with rural communications companies to collaboratively build and operate a 4G LTE network in those areas using the tower and backhaul assets of the rural company and Verizon Wireless' core 4G LTE equipment and premium 700 MHz spectrum.  Already, 11 rural companies have announced their participation in the LTE in Rural America program and have leased spectrum covering, in total, more than 2.1 million people in rural communities and nearly 62,000 square miles.  These companies include: Bluegrass Cellular, Carolina West/Clear Stream, Cellcom, Chariton Valley, Convergence Technologies, Cross Telephone, Custer Telephone Cooperative, Pioneer Cellular, S&R Communications, Strata Networks and Thumb Cellular.  

4G LTE Markets as of Sept. 15, 2011

While Verizon Wireless' 3G network covers more than 290 million Americans, the company's 4G LTE network covers more than 160 million Americans and will be available in 143 cities on Thursday, including:

• Decatur, Ala.
• Huntsville, Ala.
• Mobile, Ala.
• Montgomery, Ala.
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Tucson, Ariz.
• Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers, Ark.
• Fort Smith, Ark.
• Jonesboro, Ark.
• Bakersfield, Calif.
• Fresno, Calif.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• Oakland, Calif.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• Salinas/Monterey/Seaside, Calif.
• San Diego, Calif.
• San Francisco, Calif.
• San Jose, Calif.
• San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Santa Barbara, Calif.
• Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Denver, Colo.
• Fort Collins, Colo.
• Greater Fairfield and New Haven, Conn.
• Hartford, Conn.
• Washington, D.C.
• Daytona, Fla.
• Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
• Gainesville, Fla.
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Lakeland, Fla.
• Miami, Fla.
• Orlando, Fla.
• Pensacola, Fla.
• Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla.
• Tallahassee, Fla.
• Tampa, Fla.
• West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Athens, Ga.
• Atlanta, Ga.
• Augusta, Ga.
• Hilo, Hawaii
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Kahului/Wailuku, Hawaii
• Lahaina, Hawaii
• Boise, Idaho
• Bloomington, Ill.
• Carbondale, Ill.
• Champaign/Urbana, Ill.
• Chicago, Ill.
• Rockford, Ill.
• Springfield, Ill.
• Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Indianapolis, Ind.
• West Lafayette, Ind.
• The Quad Cities, Ill./Iowa
• Iowa City, Iowa
• Wichita, Kan.
• Louisville, Ky.
• Baton Rouge, La.
• Hammond, La.
• New Orleans, La.
• Shreveport, La.
• Baltimore, Md.
• Frederick, Md.
• Boston, Mass.
• Springfield, Mass.
• Worcester, Mass.
• Detroit, Mich.
• Flint, Mich.
• Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Lansing, Mich.
• Saginaw, Mich.
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
• St. Louis, Mo.
• Omaha/Council Bluffs, Neb.
• Las Vegas, Nev.
• Reno, Nev.
• Las Cruces, N.M.
• Albany, N.Y.
• Ithaca, N.Y.
• New York, N.Y.
• Rochester, N.Y.
• Syracuse, N.Y.
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Fayetteville/Lumberton, N.C.
• Greensboro/Winston Salem/High Point, N.C.
• Raleigh/Durham, N.C.
• Wilmington, N.C.
• Fargo, N.D.
• Akron, Ohio
• Canton, Ohio
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Columbus, Ohio
• Dayton, Ohio
• Lima, Ohio
• Mansfield, Ohio
• Toledo, Ohio
• Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Tulsa, Okla.
• Portland, Ore.
• Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, Pa.
• Altoona, Pa.
• Erie, Pa.
• Harrisburg, Pa.
• Johnstown, Pa.
• Philadelphia, Pa.
• Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Wilkes Barre/Scranton, Pa.
• State College, Pa.
• Charleston, S.C.
• Columbia, S.C.
• Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.
• Hilton Head, S.C.
• Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Clarksville, Tenn./Hopkinsville, Ky.
• Cleveland, Tenn.
• Dyersburg, Tenn.
• The Tri-Cities, Tenn./Va.
• Knoxville, Tenn.
• Memphis, Tenn.
• Nashville, Tenn.
• Austin, Texas
• Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas
• Bryan/College Station, Texas
• Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
• El Paso, Texas
• Houston, Texas
• San Antonio, Texas
• Temple/Killeen, Texas
• Wichita Falls, Texas
• Provo, Utah
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Olympia, Wash.
• Seattle, Wash.
• Spokane, Wash.
• Tacoma, Wash.
• Charleston, W.Va.
• Madison, Wis.
• Milwaukee, Wis.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/4GLTE for more information about Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network.  

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest, most advanced 4G 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