The XLTE technology employs the company's AWS, or Advanced Wireless Services, spectrum, which is intended to at least double the capacity of the network. With increased capacity, the network can handle more simultaneous traffic, such as sending or receiving photos or video, as well as more users surfing the Net at the same time.
Heavy traffic usage is common in areas and times where there are significant populations of high-data users, including cities, concert venues, sports and other large events. The company says that XLTE Ready devices -- of which there are currently more than two dozen -- can access faster peak data speeds. Over a third of devices using the Verizon Wireless network can utilize XLTE, including the newest Droids, Samsung Galaxy S4, S5 and Note 3, and the iPhone 5C and 5S.
The Verizon 4G LTE network was first launched in December 2010, and the company said it is now nearly complete, covering 97 percent of the U.S. population. Verizon said it has invested more than $90 billion nationally in this century to build and enhance its wireless network.
Akshay Sharma, an analyst with industry research firm Gartner, told us that Verizon's initial, existing network was "on the 700MHz band C block, 2x10, or two 10 megahertz lanes, one for uplink and one for downlink."
XLTE, he said, "is over AWS licenses at a higher 1700 MHz band, with 2x20, or two 20 megahertz lanes for uplink and downlink. It isn't a new standard, but standard LTE over additional highway lanes, increasing capacity."
T-Mobile has a similar 2x20 network in...