4G Service Taking Off, Hitting Milestones For AT&T, Verizon

AT&T said it will roll out its 4G LTE service in Little Rock by the end of the year and Verizon Wireless says it has hit a one-year milestone.

The next generation wireless technology is capable of delivering mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. LTE stands for “long term evolution” and is the most advanced current platform for cell phone service in the industry.

“Little Rock enjoys AT&T’s fast 4G speeds today as part of the nation’s largest 4G network, and our teams will be working hard across the city toward our upcoming 4G LTE launch,” said Ed Drilling, president of AT&T Arkansas.

“AT&T customers in Little Rock can look forward to even faster speeds this year, on our leading lineup of smartphones, tablets and other devices.”

The company launched 4G service in northwest Arkansas in mid-August.

Earlier this week, AT&T competitor Verizon Wireless announced it had upgraded its 4G LTE networks in 150 Arkansas communities during the past year.

“During the past 12 months, we have aggressively rolled out our 4G LTE network and now cover 72 percent of Arkansas’ population with 4G LTE,” said Dean Taylor, president of Verizon Wireless in Arkansas. “Regardless of where our customers live, work or travel – in Arkansas or nationwide – we’re working to make sure they can take advantage of the speed and connectivity our 4G LTE network offers.”

AT&T and Verizon Wireless are the two largest wireless carriers in the U.S.