Verizon Communications was founded in the year 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp.

Cellco Partnership as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is the legal entity that actually provides wireless service to consumers. The Cellco Partnership is better known publicly by its DBA or “Doing Business As the name”, Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Wireless is currently headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

In December of 2010, Verizon Wireless became the 2nd carrier in the USA after US Cellular offered an LTE network to its subscribers. At launch 39 markets got covered with the new technology. In 2014 Verizon Wireless improved upon its network by launching VoLTE which allowed consumers to be able to use voice and data simultaneously as well as providing them with the ability to place HD Voice and HD Video calls.

Verizon Wireless runs the nation’s largest 4G LTE network which is said to cover 98% of the population in the USA or 2.3 million square miles. Verizon’s LTE Advanced network covers over 450 cities coast to coast while its XLTE technology is available in over 466 cities.

Verizon Wireless is known to be the least friendly major carrier when it comes to supporting MVNO’s. It was the last carrier to allow its MVNO’s access to its LTE network. It also historically limited its MVNO partner’s LTE download speeds to roughly 5 Mbps and upload speeds to 2 Mbps. This limitation puts those Verizon MVNO’s at a competitive disadvantage when compared to MVNO’s on any other network where speeds generally aren’t restricted. Fortunately, those speed restrictions have started to get lifted. TracFone-owned brands such as Straight Talk Wireless got the restrictions lifted in the Summer of 2017.