Verizon today launched a faster version of its LTE mobile data service, and Houston is one of the first markets to get it.

Dubbed XLTE, the service can as much as double the available bandwidth for Verizon customers, according to a news release from the company. It should relieve capacity issues Verizon was experiencing in some big cities. The upgraded service can also provide faster download speeds, and uses a spectrum known as AWS.

The service is currently available in about half of Verizon’s U.S. network [PDF], including Houston. Other Texas markets getting XLTE include Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont/Port Arthur, Bryan/College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Laredo, Longview/Marshall, Paris, San Antonio, Sherman/Denison, Temple/Killeen, Tyler, Waco and Wichita Falls.

XLTE’s faster speeds will only work on certain newer smartphones and 4G-equipped devices., including the Samsung Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8 and the Apple iPhone 5S and iPad Air. However, the increase in capacity should benefit all users of LTE-capable devices, Verizon says.

I did some speed tests using a Galaxy S5 on Verizon’s network in downtown Houston and saw speeds comparable to those I saw when the company first launched LTE back in December 2010, and when the then-new service had few customers.

If you’ve got a device that works with Verizon’s XLTE service, run some speed tests and tell us in the comments what you’re seeing.

Update: Here’s a speed test using an iPhone 5S from downtown Houston.