Verizon's LTE Network to Reach Two-Thirds of U.S. Population This Week

Marking yet another milestone in its rollout of 4G LTE connectivity, Verizon today announced that with another major expansion coming later this week, the carrier's LTE network will now cover two-thirds of the United States population. This week's expansion, officially going live on Thursday, will see coverage in 27 new markets and expansion of coverage in 44 existing markets.

Verizon Wireless, owner of the nation’s largest 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, today announced that it will cover more than two-thirds of the U.S. population when it introduces its 4G LTE network in 27 new markets and expands in 44 markets on April 19. With the new and expanded markets, Verizon Wireless continues to lead the industry in 4G LTE deployment, offering network coverage in 230 markets across the United States.

By the end of the year, Verizon expects to have LTE coverage available in over 400 markets, making the next-generation data speeds available for 260 million people, or well over 80% of the U.S. population.

ipad lte signal
Verizon, which is leading the major U.S. carriers in LTE deployment, boasts real-world speeds of 5-12 Mbps download and 2-5 Mbps upload. AT&T is also rapidly building out its LTE network, and while it is behind Verizon in its rollout, it does offer faster fallback 3G speeds than Verizon does. Sprint, the third major U.S. carrier to offer the iPhone, has yet to officially launch its LTE services as it seeks to migrate away from WiMAX as its 4G technology, although its LTE network should debut in its first round of markets in the near future.

Apple currently offers LTE compatibility through AT&T and Verizon on the new iPad, with separate models offering the support on each carrier. The company has, however, been embroiled in some controversy in international markets, where its "4G" claims have been targeted by regulators seeking to determine whether Apple has been providing adequate disclosures that the devices will not be compatible with LTE networks in those countries due to differences in the frequencies being used by the carriers.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

budafied Avatar
178 months ago
Next iPhone better have LTE!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ks-man Avatar
178 months ago
Once they reach 99% and have proper coverage in the moral rural states, then I'll be impressed.

These business are out to make a profit. If you were running the company in the interest of the shareholders (their mandate) which would you choose?

A) $5 billion to cover 85% of the country with LTE leading to $15b in revenues
B) $10b to cover 98% of the country with LTE leading to $17b in revenues

For better or for worse it will always come down to numbers and there just isn't a rational business reason to cover the entire country with cutting edge technology that will significantly increase costs without adding to revenues. People in rural areas would have to pay 10x the cost to cover such an expansion and how would those people react to a $1000/month bill compared to their urban counterparts $100/month bill?

Note: All numbers were made up to illustrate a point
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
highlnd Avatar
178 months ago
Damn you AT&T, get off your A$$ and expand. I'm regretting my iPad LTE purchase now. I should probably have gone WiFi only.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Battlefield Fan Avatar
178 months ago
In other news AT&T announced they shutdown some LTE cell sites. :rolleyes:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
groupersandwich Avatar
178 months ago
Yeah turns out you have unlimited 3G data. As many VZ and ATT customers are discovering, transitioning to 4G LTE requires that you give up your lock-in and get on the price-per-byte treadmill. :(

Absolutely untrue with regards to Verizon. Ask me how I know.:rolleyes:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JHankwitz Avatar
178 months ago
I agree. I don't want to hear how doing that is expensive. Maybe the state & federal governments can do a private/public fund thing to do it.

Right, let's have the government spend more money they don't have to provide more entitlements to those that don't need it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)