Verizon now covering 75% of U.S. with snappy 4G LTE data

Verizon Wireless’s snappy 4G LTE network will add 34 new markets Thursday, and in turn, it will now cover 235 million Americans, or 75 percent of the U.S. population.

By far, Verizon has the most true-4G coverage in the United States, with 371 cities now marked on the map. This has become a major focus of Verizon’s marketing and a striking comparison point next to its peers. Verizon’s 4G coverage towers over AT&T’s limited 51-market LTE network. Sprint has even less 4G LTE coverage, while T-Mobile doesn’t have an active LTE network yet.

Not only will Verizon offer some 4G coverage in new cities, but it’s expanding coverage in 38 existing markets, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

One of the biggest reasons LTE is so important this year is the release of the next iPhone. This model will almost certainly include 4G LTE wireless capabilities because it would be innovation suicide to not offer it. Top-notch Android phones have been offering 4G data connections since before the iPhone 4S launched. If we assume the new iPhone will work on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint’s LTE networks, competition for iPhone fans will be fierce.

Here is the full list of new cities with Verizon 4G LTE coverage:

• Hot Springs, Ark.
• Redding, Calif.
• Valdosta and Waycross, Ga.
• Centralia and Danville, Ill.
• Parsons, Salina, and Topeka, Kan.
• Alexandria and Monroe, La.
• Pittsfield, Mass.
• Battle Creek and Muskegon, Mich.
• Mankato and Worthington, Minn.
• Joplin and Sedalia, Mo.
• Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot, N.D.
• Chillicothe, Ohio
• Reading, Pa.
• Aberdeen, S.D.
• Laredo, Odessa, and Texarkana, Texas
• Brattleboro and White River Junction, Vt.
• Charlottesville, Va.
• Longview, Wash.
• Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Manitowoc, Wis.