Tampa Bay will be among the first in a group of U.S. cities where Verizon Wireless will launch its higher-speed "4G" service, company officials said.
Many specifics have yet to be determined with the service, such as final price, and the specific models of smart phones that will run the service.
But Verizon officials said the service is transmitting data now about three to four times faster than current smart phones running more established 3G service.
The service is expected to be available by the end of the year in 38 major metropolitan areas plus 60 airports.
In the Bay area, Hillsborough and Pinellas are expected to get the service before Pasco, Polk and Manatee counties.
Verizon's upgrade comes along with similar systems rolling out from AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, which are all rushing to offer faster data speeds on cellular links.
For consumers this also means more phones will be available that function as their own Wi-Fi hotspot. For instance, travelers with notebook computers wouldn't need to find a hotel or coffee shop with Wi-Fi - and instead merely use their phone as a high-speed connection.
Verizon announced the Tampa market launch through the CTIA trade show in San Francisco this week.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement
Advertisement