CHAMPAIGN — Verizon Wireless plans to expand its 4G LTE network to include the Champaign-Urbana area on Sept. 15, the company said Monday.

The expansion will make available download speeds 10 times faster than Verizon's existing 3G network. That will make it easier to stream movies, download songs and conduct mobile business.

The 4G LTE network will have download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second, compared with conventional 3G speeds of 0.6 to 1.4 megabits per second. The actual rate will depend on how much traffic is on the network.

Verizon Wireless offers 4G in 117 markets. At the same time Verizon makes 4G available in the Champaign-Urbana area, it will introduce the service in Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, Rockford and Moline, company spokeswoman Carolyn Schamberger said.

Besides Champaign and Urbana, other local communities gaining access to the network on Sept. 15 include Savoy, Bondville, Philo, Sadorus and Tolono.

Verizon has said it plans to have nationwide coverage in 2013. It introduced its 4G LTE network on Dec. 5, 2010, and has so far expanded it to cover more than half the U.S. population.

Other major wireless carriers are in various stages of expanding their 4G networks in Illinois, according to their websites:

— AT&T Wireless offers 4G data coverage in the Chicago, St. Louis and Springfield areas.

— T-Mobile has 4G coverage in the Illinois cities of Chicago, Kankakee, Rockford and Springfield.

— Sprint offers 4G coverage in the Chicago and St. Louis regions.

Customers who buy smartphones, tablets, notebooks, netbooks, hotspots and modems compatible with Verizon's 4G LTE network will find the devices are "backward-compatible" with Verizon's 3G network in places where 4G is not available, Schamberger said.