Verizon wants to hook up with partners in rural areas of the US to speed up deployment of its 4G phone network.

Verizon plans to launch 4G in 30 markets by the end of the year, reaching around 100 million phone users. Chief Technology Officer, Tony Melone, said in a recent press conference the company wanted to encourage rural mobile carriers to use their mobile spectrum. He added the company believed in “partnering with rural carriers and getting (4G) LTE out there quicker”.

Melone also mentioned phone manufacturers were working hard so that the first Verizon 4G phones could be on sale a few months earlier than originally planned.