Verizon Subscribers Rejoice, Company Launches Faster Network Speeds in 450 Cities

If you’re on Verizon, you may have noticed your data speeds being faster — and if you’re wondering why, it’s because the carrier has launched what it’s calling LTE Advanced.

Verizon announced today that its LTE Advanced is launching in approximately 461 cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Portland and San Diego.

The new network works by letting certain phones receive more data at one time, allowing for faster download and upload speeds. Specifically, LTE Advanced “combines” multiple bandwidth channels to achieve a faster download speed. Two combined channels could allow up to 225 Mbps download speeds.

And while typical LTE — something most of us are familiar with — averages around 5- to 12-megabits-per-second, combining three channels could theoretically allow for download speeds up to 300 Mbps, the company announced.

In real world use, however, Verizon is only promising up to a 50 percent speed increase — still, nothing to scoff at. Additionally, “typical” download speed will stay around the average 5 to 12 Mbps, according to The Verge.

There are a few caveats with Verizon’s new tech, however. Firstly, to take advantage of the new LTE service, users will need a relatively new smartphone — Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S7 are both compatible with LTE Advanced, as are the iPhone 6 and 6s, among others, Verizon said.

And it’s still not entirely clear when the increased speeds will actually kick in on your phone. Verizon said it’ll start working “when you need it the most” — specifically in circumstances when your phone is using large amounts of data, Engadget reported.  But although the company is being sort of vague when it comes to exactly when LTE Advanced can and will be used, an increase in network speeds is never unwelcome.

A full list of compatible devices is available here, while a list of cities getting Advanced LTE can be seen here.