PITTSBURGH, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Nov. 17, more Verizon Wireless customers across
the Greater Pittsburgh
metropolitan area can take advantage of Verizon Wireless' 4G Long
Term Evolution (LTE) network, the fastest and most reliable 4G
network in the nation. Cities and towns in the expanded 4G
coverage area include:
- Ellwood City;
- New Alexandria;
- Latrobe, and;
- Ligonier.
Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network allows customers to share music
and photos, surf the Web and download files up to 10 times faster
than with the company's 3G network. Verizon Wireless initially
launched its 4G LTE network in Dec.
2010, in Pittsburgh with
coverage extending to Beaver
Falls, Robinson Twp,
Penn Hills, Mt. Lebanon, Monroeville, McKeesport, Greensburg, Connellsville and Uniontown.
"Our network is the largest 4G LTE network in the nation and was
just named the 'Fastest 4G Network Yet' by Popular Science's
Best of What's New awards and ranked No. 1 on PC World's 100
Best Products of 2011," said Mark
Frazier, president-Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia Region, Verizon
Wireless. "We are expanding our network so that even more of
Greater Pittsburgh's residents,
small businesses and local government can take advantage of the
next generation of wireless technology, which is continuing to push
the boundaries of connectivity."
4G LTE Devices and Plans
Residents of Greater Pittsburgh
can choose from 16 4G LTE-enabled devices, including notebooks and
netbooks; hotspots and modems; and tablets and smartphones, such as
the new HTC Rezound™ and DROID RAZR™ by Motorola, to connect to the
largest 4G LTE network in the country. Details on each device can
be found at www.verizonwireless.com/4GLTE and information on plans
and pricing is available at www.verizonwireless.com/plans.
Coverage and Speed
With a consistent focus on growth and reliability, Verizon
Wireless has quickly expanded its 4G LTE network. The company is
not only expanding the network in Pittsburgh; Louisville, Ky.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 17, but also adding 14 new markets, for a
total of 179 markets covered.
In real-world, fully loaded network environments, 4G LTE
customers in the Greater
Pittsburgh area from Ellwood
City south to Uniontown,
and from Washington east to
Greensburg, should experience
average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the
downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.
Extending Coverage and Reliability
Verizon Wireless is also working with rural communications
organizations 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. To date, 12 rural organizations have announced their
participation in the LTE in Rural America program and have leased
spectrum covering, in total, more than 2.6 million people in rural
communities and nearly 82,000 square miles.
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 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
areas.
For more information about Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network,
visit 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 107.7
million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail
customers. Headquartered in Basking
Ridge, N.J., with nearly 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