Verizon today announced a new marketing push for "LTE Advanced" technology that brings 50 percent faster peak wireless data speeds to 461 cities across the United States. The company marks LTE Advanced as the latest improvement on current 4G LTE technology, which it first introduced in 2010. Besides a collection of major cities, Verizon LTE Advanced will cover "loads of less-served places including highways, interstates, country roads and rural America."


LTE Advanced is not a new technology, with Verizon and other carriers working over the past couple of years to gradually roll it out through "carrier aggregation" upgrades that allow multiple bandwidth channels to be combined for faster speeds. Today's announcement from Verizon does, however, signal a major milestone in reaching coverage for 90 percent of the U.S. population.

The LTE Advanced upgrades come to Verizon's customers at no additional cost, with speed boosts and coverage kicking in "when you need it most," from day-to-day smartphone use to vacation trips. Verizon LTE Advanced will work on one of 39 devices already on the carrier's network, including the iPhone, Moto Droid, and Galaxy S6 and S7.

“Verizon LTE Advanced means your data session moves more quickly over the best network,” said Nicki Palmer, Verizon’s chief wireless network engineer. “Imagine a road with multiple lanes in which, once you pick a lane, that’s the lane you drive in. That describes our award-winning 4G LTE network.

Continuing the metaphor, Verizon LTE Advanced allows cars to change lanes efficiently and flawlessly, balancing the flow of traffic and getting drivers to their destinations more efficiently. That means blindingly fast data transmissions when you need it most.”

Verizon's LTE Advanced deployment currently uses a combination of two- and three-carrier aggregation, with two-channel carrier aggregation resulting in download speeds of up to 225 Mbps under ideal conditions, compared to "typical" speeds of 5-12 Mbps.

Whenever new smartphones from Apple, Samsung, and other companies are released, they will support Verizon's new LTE Advanced service out of the box, and pre-existing smartphones on Verizon plans will automatically upgrade with "no extra plan costs, no settings to change, and no indicators to check." Verizon calls LTE Advanced "the next-generation of wireless technology" and hopes to continue expanding the technology's reach, and upgrading its abilities to offer three-channel carrier aggregation with theoretical speeds exceeding 300 Mbps.

Tag: Verizon

Top Rated Comments

avanpelt Avatar
111 months ago
VZ is such a joke! Where is VZ superior to At&t?? I've tested in NYC, ATL, Charlotte, Orlando, VA, etc and never has VZ come anywhere close to the DL speeds that At&t has........and you still can't surf & talk! #cdmablows!!

https://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2016/02/t-announces-5g-field-trials-austin
You do realize that with the iPhone 6 and newer, you can surf and talk when the phone is connected to Verizon's LTE network and VoLTE is enabled on the phone, right? Also, the number of places where a modern phone would connect to CDMA on Verizon's network is pretty small these days.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
111 months ago
So, does this require a carrier update to come through and be installed? Seems like one of the FAQs at https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/verizon-lte-advanced-faqs/ mentions the following:

"How do I get Verizon LTE Advanced?

It's easy. You get Verizon LTE Advanced just by using a compatible device ('https://www.verizonwireless.com/devices/lte-advanced/') in more than 450 cities across the US. Only with Verizon.

You'll get an automatic software update, but you don't have to sign up, make any changes to your device settings or change your plan."
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
willmtaylor Avatar
111 months ago
This reminds me of how they rolled out Band 4 as some sort of BRAND NEW AMAZING TECHNOLOGY THAT ONLY VERIZON CAN GIVE YOU CALLED XLTE THE X STANDS FOR EXTREME!

EXTREME OVERAGE CHARGES!
Are you seriously complaining about faster speeds? Wow.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
111 months ago
I fixed my post. I meant to say "it's like XLTE all over again."
Nope. XLTE was just a marketing term for using new bandwidth. LTE-A is a real upgrade.

So basically they just refined and optimized how the network works. Is that right? And they're marketing it as something new.
Nope, not this time.

LTE-A is _real_ 4G for the first time. It has taken over a half decade to deploy after it got standardized.

Among other techniques, LTE-A uses multiple carriers over multiple antennas (and even multiple cell sites if necessary) to multiply the bandwidth to send data over. Besides huge potential boosts in speed, it also means smoother handoffs between towers.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
111 months ago
How about Text and Talk then? They can't do that. My friends have 6 or 6s phones and I'll send them a pic over text while talking and they don't receive it….. riddle me that!
Been able to do that for a long time.
[doublepost=1472509460][/doublepost]
Meanwhile, those of us with T-Mobile had this for almost two years now.

Yawn.

Welcome to last year, Verizon.
Meanwhile Verizon users had and have coverage in plenty places (including many indoor locations) where T-Mobile hadn't for a long time and in some case still doesn't. So what?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Will.O.Bie Avatar
111 months ago
Two random speed test with Verizon LTE-A. Downtown LA area.



Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
iphone air concept weis

iPhone 17 Air Could Look Like This in Real Life

Friday February 14, 2025 3:41 am PST by
There have been several alleged leaked details of the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's rumored new slim iPhone, but images have been limited to grainy shots taken in component factories. However, this hyper-realistic concept created by WEIS Studio gives us the best idea yet of what Apple's thin device might actually look like. The concept design is inspired by recent leaks indicating that the device...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
M4 Mac mini Apple Video

Apple's Refurbished Mac Mini Pricing Has a Problem

Thursday February 13, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple this week began selling refurbished Mac mini models with the M4 chip for the first time, but this has led to a pricing conundrum. In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs. The issue is...