Verizon's LTE network was already pretty speedy, and now the company has rolled out XLTE in 250 cities in 44 states, which delivers faster peak data speeds and a minimum of doublethe bandwidth. Wow, this is what I like to hear.
Click here to see the full list of cities. Nearly all the devices that Verizon sells can take advantage of XLTE, including the iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with retina display. So how is it possible for them to make this jump? Last year the FCC approved Verizon's purchase of Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) spectrum, which has now been activated. A post on MacRumors compares it to opening up an additional lane on a congested freeway. If you're living in a city where Verizon has activated AWS, your device will automatically take advantage of it.
If you have a legacy device that's not compatible with the new AWS spectrum, you'll likely also benefit. This is because when newer devices take advantage of XLTE and shift to the new AWS spectrum, that helps to ease congestion on the 700 Mhz spectrum used by older devices.
In addition to the announcement, Verizon has created a short commercial for XLTE:
[Update 5/27/14]: Video has been pulled down