Verizon Wireless, the largest operator in the US, launched its XLTE service, providing faster peak speeds and using double the bandwidth of its standard LTE proposition.

The improved service is available in cities across the US and makes use of both 700MHz and AWS (advanced wireless services) spectrum, the latter of which covers pairings of frequencies in the 1.7GHz and 2.1GHz bands.

The technology has been rolled out in areas where demand is high, particularly during busy periods such as lunchtime and rush hour. It will also be made available for events where high mobile data usage is expected.

All customers with devices that support XLTE and who are within the coverage area will automatically gain access to the improved service.

The vast majority of devices currently sold by Verizon are XLTE-ready, meaning they can automatically access both the 700MHz and AWS frequencies. Verizon said devices that just operate on the 700MHz band will benefit from traffic for XLTE devices moving to the AWS band.

According to the operator, 35 per cent of all devices operating on its network will be able to take direct advantage of the additional capacity provided by AWS.

The US is by far the world’s largest 4G market in terms of connections, with 100 million 4G connections due to be reached in the first half of this year, up from 80 million in 2013.

Verizon Wireless and AT&T were the two largest 4G operators worldwide in Q3 2013, standing at 36 million and 21 million 4G connections, respectively.