BendBroadband has rolled out new wireless network technology that, according to the company, increases wireless Internet speeds and improves the quality of its telephone service.

The Bend cable TV, telephone and Internet provider has upgraded its wireless network to 4G LTE, the first commercial provider in Central Oregon to offer the technology, the company said in a news release.

A price increase did not accompany the upgrade, according to an email from company spokesman Lance Judd. In fact, BendBroadband increased some usage limits.

The company’s wireless Internet is available to subscribers outside the reach of its cable Internet service, and customers who subscribe to the wired service can add wireless, according to the news release.

“Whether you’re in town or way out on the ranch, customers outside of our wired footprint will have access to reliable broadband with download speeds ranging from 4 to 12 (megabits per second),” Mark Hobbs, BendBroadband marketing director, said in the news release.

More frequently seen in marketing information about cellular telephone networks, 4G LTE stands for fourth-generation, long-term evolution, a generational improvement over the more widespread 3G technology available now on many smartphones.

AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and other large wireless providers have been touting the technology as they roll it out across the country, although none has brought the service to Bend, according to their websites.

The companies say it provides faster data transfer rates — download and upload speeds — and improves the quality of video and other multimedia applications.

In the past year, however, the Obama administration and federal agencies have focused on wireless systems as a way to bring broadband, or high-speed, Internet to more rural areas where construction of wired service can be costly.

BendBroadband introduced its residential wireless Internet service in 2009, saying at the time it was the first of its type in the nation.

Its network covers an area, roughly, from around Warm Springs in the north and Northern Klamath County in the south, according to a map on its website, to the Prineville area in the east and spots beyond Sisters in the west.

BendBroadband has increased some monthly bandwidth usage limits, or caps, from 20 to 25 gigabytes and 75 to 100 GB, on its lowest- and highest-priced plans, respectively, according to the email from Judd.

To take advantage of the upgrade, customers need to replace their wireless modems with a 4G LTE device, according to the spokesman’s email, but the price BendBroadband charges customers is below the company’s cost.

The upgraded network will provide 4 to 8 megabits-per second-download speeds, an increase over the 2 to 8 Mbps before the upgrade, according to the email.