Verizon to launch 4G LTE in 27 new markets, expand in 44 this week

Verizon's 4G LTE network will launch in 27 new markets this week, and it will also expand in 44 existing markets. Verizon Wireless said in a press release on Tuesday that the expansion of its 4G LTE footprint will bring coverage to 230 markets, covering more than two-thirds of the U.S. population.

The new markets where Verizon will be launching its 4G LTE coverage are Auburn and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Pine Bluff, Siloam Springs and Van Buren, Ark.; Visalia/Porterville, Calif.; Fort Walton Beach and Ocala, Fla.; Brunswick, LaGrange and Macon/Warner Robins, Ga.; Peoria, Ill.; Kokomo/Logansport and Marion, Ind.; Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend and Hays, Kan.; Salisbury, Md.; Cattaraugus/Allegany, N.Y.; Sandusky, Ohio; Ardmore and Ponca City, Okla.; Salem/Albany/Corvallis, Ore.; Pierre, S.D.; and Big Springs and Tyler, Texas.

Verizon will also expand its 4G LTE network on Thursday in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Sacramento, Salinas/Monterey, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and Stockton, Calif.; Colorado Springs and Fort Collins/Loveland, Colo.; Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla.; Boise/Nampa, Idaho; Carbondale/Marion and Rockford, Ill.; Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Ind.; Des Moines, Iowa; Boston and Worcester, Mass.; Detroit, Mich.; St. Louis, Mo.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Manchester/Nashua, N.H.; Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M.; Buffalo/Niagara Falls and New York, N.Y.; Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Portland, Ore.; Providence/Pawtucket, R.I.; Nashville, Tenn.; El Paso, Texas; Provo/Orem and Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah; and Olympia/Centralia and Spokane, Wash.

A thorough list of where Verizon offers 4G LTE coverage is available on the company's official website.

"Verizon Wireless 4G LTE is the premier wireless data service in the nation, with more than six times the geographic coverage of our nearest competitor's 4G LTE network and now available to more than two-thirds of the nation’s population," said David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless. "We will continue to introduce new markets and expand covered markets to ensure even more wireless users across the United States can take advantage of the benefits that 4G LTE brings to consumers, small businesses and enterprises."

Verizon Wireless now offers more than 20 4G LTE-enabled devices, chief among them the new iPad, which launched last month and is Apple's first-ever 4G LTE device. Last week, AppleInsider published an extensive breakdown comparing 4G LTE coverage on the new iPad with both Verizon and its chief competitor, AT&T.