Verizon expanding 4G LTE to 178 markets by November

Verizon announced today that it’s expanding its 4G LTE coverage to 178 markets by November 17th, further extending its head start over AT&T and Sprint. Its LTE network will be available in 22 new cities and expanded in four cities on October 20th, while being turned on in 13 additional cities and expanded in five cities on November 17th. In contrast, AT&T’s 4G LTE network finally launched last month in five markets, with plans to cover at least 15 by the end of the year, and Sprint won’t roll out its own LTE network until mid-2012.