Verizon expanding 4G LTE network to 28 more markets

The 4G LTE network of Verizon Wireless will be available in 102 major metropolitan areas by Thursday.

Touted by Verizon as the country's "most advanced 4G wireless network," it will certainly have a much farther reach when it is expanded to 28 more markets.

Here's a glance at some of the new areas getting Verizon's 4G LTE network this Thursday. (A full list can be found here.)

• Honolulu
• Colorado Springs
• Louisville
• Portland, Ore.
• Charleston, S.C. and W.Va.
• Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

Coverage is also being expanded and improved in other select markets, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas-Fort Worth and Northern New Jersey, among other areas.

Last week, T-Mobile made a similar move when it doubled the speed of its own 4G network in 56 additional markets. (Although the credibility of referring to it as a 4G network has been called into question on many occasions.)

Although T-Mobile still advertises its own 4G network as the nation's largest, there are less than a handful of T-Mobile devices that are enabled to handle 42Mbps HSPA+ speeds.

In comparison, Verizon boasts at least nine 4G-ready devices to use on its network, breaking down to three smartphones, three USB modems, two mobile hotspots and a tablet.

Verizon's 4G goal is to expand its 4G network to the full extent of its entire 3G-covered area by the end of 2013.

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