The 4G LTE wars continue to wage between Verizon and AT&T, with each network taking a different approach – Verizon already started their 4G LTE network trials in 2008 and launched it to the public in 2010, whereas AT&T waited a year longer before it started rolling out its 4G LTE network, but added cities at a much faster pace than Verizon, claiming they will be done in 2013. Today AT&T announced coverage to eight more areas, and in doing so, surpassed its 400th market. The lucky eight are:
- East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania,
- Marysville, California
- Carson City, Nevada,
- San Angelo , Texas
- Statesboro, Georgia
- Joplin, Missouri
- Bellingham, Washington
- Portsmouth, Ohio
To take a look at how Verizon and AT&T stack up to one another; here are a few facts about Verizon’s 4G LTE Network from Verizon’s website:
- Verizon Wireless was the first tier-one wireless provider in the world to build and operate a large-scale 4G LTE network.
- The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network was launched on December 5, 2010, and the initial buildout has been substantially completed.
- Our 4G LTE network is available in more than 500 markets across the country. See here for a full list of markets.
- The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network is the largest commercial 4G LTE network in the nation, covering more of the U.S. population than any other 4G LTE network.
- Our 4G LTE network is available to more than 298 million people across the country – more than 95 percent of the U.S. population.
- Our 4G LTE network covers more than 99 percent of our 3G network footprint.
Pretty impressive, covering over 500 markets and 298 million people, more than 95% of the U.S. population and covering 99-percent of its former 3G footprint. AT&T claims the following for their 4G LTE Network:
- AT&T started rolling out its 4G LTE Network in 2012.
- AT&T LTE covers more than 400 markets, and continues to expand.
- Our 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average download and upload speeds than any of our competitors in PCWorld/TechHive’s most recent 20-market speed tests – the second consecutive year that AT&T has ranked first overall. PCWorld/TechHive also ranked AT&T’s as the fastest combination of 3G and 4G services in the 20 cities it tested.Reliability. AT&T not only has the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network, but now also has the most reliable 4G LTE network. According to independent third-party data, AT&T has the highest success rate for delivering mobile content across nationwide 4G LTE networks.
- And AT&T was named America’s fastest 4G LTE network in PC Magazine’s 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks 30-market study – and also swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.
We will keep you informed as AT&T adds more cities to its resume and we will watch the fun as Verizon and AT&T battle it out in the media for 4G LTE supremacy. Which network do you use and what are your pros and cons when it comes to Verizon or AT&T’s 4G LTE Networks.