Date set for Verizon's LTE in the Triangle

Finally, the Triangle has a date.

Verizon Wireless' 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network will go live July 21.

VZW says the high speed wireless network will cover the areas of Cary, Durham, Apex, Clayton, Morrisville, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Wake Forest, Garner, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Gorman, Smithfield and of course Raleigh.

The technology has demonstrated speeds up to 10 times faster than the company's current 3G network. LTE is significantly faster than any 3G service and promises to outperform rival 4G connections offering real world speeds of 5-12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2-5 Mbps on the uplink with 30 milliseconds latency. These are speeds that rival residential wired broadband Internet.

Currently, Verizon has several devices capable of using LTE which are backwards compatible with their 3G service. There are three smartphones: HTC ThunderBolt,  LG Revolution and the Samsung Droid Charge. The carrier also has several hotspot devices and a USB modem that connect to the 4G service. The recently launched Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet is also LTE capable. Buyers of the previously released Motorola Xoom have been promised LTE upgrades.

Verizon Wireless has already activated LTE in the Fayetteville-Lumberton, Wilmington and Charlotte areas in N.C. The Asheville area will be added later to complete coverage in North Carolina.

Last year, the world’s first large-scale launch of LTE began in 38 major metropolitan areas and in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast.

In addition, Verizon says 58 new cell sites have been added in the Raleigh-Durham area to improve coverage.