We knew this was coming but AT&T has expanded its super-fast 4G LTE network to 11 new markets including major cities like New York and San Francisco.

The new markets also include Austin, Chapel Hill, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Diego, and San Jose. This now brings AT&T’s 4G LTE network to 26 markets and it covers more than 76 million people. While that’s still a much smaller footprint than the 4G LTE network of Verizon, AT&T is touting its own mobile data network as potentially faster.

We’ve done our head-to-head speed tests but it’s still not quite fair to compare the networks because AT&T’s networks are pretty much empty and don’t give a real representation of how it will perform when multiple people sign on. Still, AT&T does have the advantage of having a faster fall-back network: its HSPA+ “4G” network for non-4G LTE markets is much faster than the EVDO 3G network that you’ll have to use on Verizon when you’re not in a 4G market.

“We’re building a 4G LTE network that’s blazing fast, and we offer dual layers of 4G technologies to provide customers with a more consistent speed experience,” said AT&T President and CEO John Stankey in a prepared statement. “Our network, together with our unsurpassed 4G device portfolio and innovative applications, will give our customers an industry-leading mobile broadband experience.”

We have a few devices out there already which can take advantage of the 4G LTE network and I’m very happy that it’s live now in my home turf. Any of you have an AT&T 4G LTE device? What kinds of speeds are you getting?

[Via AT&T]