AT&T to Launch LTE in 6 More Markets

Customers in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Charlotte, NC, and San Juan, Puerto Rico will be next in line for AT&T's fast LTE service.

AT&T is second only to Verizon in the U.S. cell phone market. Verizon was recently named the fastest carrier, and was first to roll out a speedy LTE network, giving the company a solid advantage over AT&T.

But AT&T is working to close the gap. The company is rapidly expanding its LTE network coverage, and plans to lure customers with a limited time offer for a free Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket phone with the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9. Both are LTE-equipped, and come with a two-year contract.

AT&T still has a lot of catching up to do. The company is expected to meet its goal of 70 million LTE pops by the end of the year, but Verizon has more than double that amount. Verizon also offers more LTE equipped devices, as opposed to AT&T's current offerings of two tablets and two smartphones.

However, if AT&T's proposed merger with fourth-place carrier T-Mobile is approved despite its legal hurdles, the company will gain access to T-Mobile's giant 4G network. Though not yet LTE-equipped, a network of that size would place AT&T in a better position to compete with Verizon in the 4G race.

The faster LTE networks are the way of the future, and the wireless carriers will likely continue to battle for dominance there, expanding networks and offering more 4G-capable devices. The competition may be good news for consumers, who could benefit from faster connection speeds and affordable deals on new hardware as the carriers fight for their patronage.