Verizon expands LTE to reach over 200m people

Launches in five new markets across the US today.

The American operator is one of the pioneers of 4G, having unveiled its first batch of LTE devices this time last year at CES 2011.

Today Verizon launches LTE in five new US markets and expands in three to make a total of 195 markets covered, which can collectively reach over 200 million consumers.

The new locations include Glen Falls and Utica (New York), Lawton (Oklahoma), Brownsville and McAllen (Texas), while expansion is happening in Atlanta (Georgia), Houston (Texas) and Spokane (Washington).

David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless, said: "As we enter 2012, Verizon's 4G LTE network remains the largest by far in the United States, and we continue to grow the network and bring Verizon's unparalleled 4G LTE services to more and more people."

Earlier today we reported on the UK's slow start to join the LTE race, which Ofcom is overseeing.