The latest, fastest kind of wireless network has arrived in Lancaster County, brought here by Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Wireless won't officially unveil its 4G Long Term Evolution service here until May 17.

But the network has been available for about the last month as it goes through its final testing phase.

"You'll see it in the area now," said Sheldon Jones, a Verizon Wireless spokesman. "If you have a 4G phone, it will light up, and you can use the service."

The term "4G" describes a faster data network for smartphones, tablets and other devices, representing the fourth generation of service.

AT&T is offering the service in a few other markets. Sprint and T-Mobile are still developing it.

The biggest improvement for Verizon customers, Jones said, will be download speeds up to 10 times faster when using the wireless network for mobile devices.

"Bottom line, 4G LTE is really about being able to do things faster," Jones said.

Currently, there are about 20 devices that can access it, although Apple's iPhone is not one of them.

Verizon Wireless launched its 4G LTE network in December 2010. As of mid-April, it covers two-thirds of the U.S. population.

In the Philadelphia tri-state region, which includes central and eastern Pennsylvania as well as southern New Jersey and Delaware, about 60 percent of Verizon wireless customers now have access to 4G LTE.

Customers still will be billed based on the data plan they choose. However, with faster download speeds, customers may find themselves using more data, Jones said.