Verizon is bringing its faster 4G LTE wireless network to Atlanta by the end of the year, the company announced Wednesday.
The region is one of 38 metro areas -- with a total of 100 million people -- that will see the network first. The Atlanta network will cover 4.1 million people over 2,500 square miles stretching from Alpharetta south past Fayetteville and from Austell east past Lithonia.
Verizon says in a statement that the network allows faster and better data access, improved mobility and better coverage than existing wireless networks.
The network will reach Atlanta's 10 major shopping malls, eight of its universities and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Customers will initially be able to use it with USB air cards, but Verizon expects to begin rolling out devices quickly, including tablets, smart phones and machine-to-machine devices.
The inclusion of Atlanta -- and Athens, which is also getting the network -- "made perfect sense," said Jeff Mango, president of the company's Georgia and Alabama region.
"Atlanta is one of the leading technology hubs in the United States, and Athens is the home of the University of Georgia," he said.
The region is also the home of Verizon's Atlanta-based archrival, AT&T Wireless.
AT&T spokeswoman Dawn Benton said that company is "being aggressive with LTE," plans to deploy its new network next year and to reach 75 million people by the end of 2011.
"We're in a really good position today, and a number of things set us apart," she said, adding that AT&T's network will be more reliably fast and better supported when it arrives.
Verizon, meanwhile, said its launch positions the company as the global leader in 4G technology.
Other Southern cities in the launch are Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Nashville and New Orleans.
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