14 DAY TRIAL // On Monday, mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless announced plans to expand its large-scale 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network to the Greater Lehigh Valley as of April 21st.
The wireless carrier announced that its 4G network would cover the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, the I-78 corridor, portions of Lehigh and Northampton counties, and Lehigh Valley International Airport.
On the new network, customers would be able to enjoy speeds that are up to 10 times faster than the company’s 3G network, reaching 5 to 12 megabits per second for download, and 2 to 5 for uploads in a real-world environment.
The wireless carrier announced that these speed enhancements would enable customers enjoy smooth mobile video-conferencing, along with multiple simultaneous video streams, as well as fast downloading, uploading and transfer of large files, and more.
“This is yet another milestone that reflects the ongoing and consistent investments we’ve made in Greater Lehigh Valley over the years,” said Verizon Wireless Regional President Mario Turco.
“We previously said that we expected to launch 4G LTE service in the Lehigh Valley before the end of the year.
“With today’s announcement, I’m thrilled that we’re able to significantly over-deliver on our commitment and that residents and businesses here will now be able to experience the benefits of the most reliable and most advanced 3G and 4G mobile broadband networks in the industry.”
Verizon offers two 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans for its customers in Lehigh Valley, namely $50 monthly access for 5GB monthly allowance or $80 monthly access for 10GB monthly allowance.
As for devices, the carrier has in store two 4G LTE USB modems for laptop connectivity, namely the LG VL600 and the Pantech UML290, which were priced at $99.99 after $50 rebate and after the signing of a new contract agreement.
Moreover, the carrier offers 4G smartphones and tablet PCs, including HTC Thunderbolt, the Motorola XOOM (which should get 4G enabled soon), and new devices from LG, Samsung and Motorola.
“All 4G LTE devices are “backward compatible” and – when not in a 4G LTE coverage area –provide access to the Verizon Wireless 3G network, which covers 97% of the U.S. population,” the carrier announced.