What is extended LTE

Check this solution:

mauricefromtampaOct 22, 2014 3:44 AM Re: iOS 8.1 always in extended coverage
Re: iOS 8.1 always in extended coveragein response to phil1992

Here's the fix:

I had the same issues when I upgraded my iphone 6 to ios 8.1, I was able to chat with someone from Apple and they told me to do this: Go to settings-->Cellular-->Enable LTE--> choose Voice and Data

After doing that it switched from "Extended" back to "Verizon", here's his explanation:

"Okay, so in the process of Verizon activating their new LTE network, they’re retiring some towers, upgrading some towers, and transitioning others. It’s possible that they may have recently made changes in your area, or we’ve just tweaked the settings so that Verizon’s network looks primarily for LTE versus the CDMA network you had been on."

Hope that helps, it worked for me

copied from iOS 8.1 always in extended coverage | Apple Support Communities

Extended LTE transfers your data faster than the"old" LTE network, check here:

America's Largest 4G LTE Network | Verizon Wireless ...

Did you try to switch off LTE on your iPhone 5 in Settings/Cellular/LTE ->off ?

Maybe your contract got upgraded to the new Extended LTE network, so instead of the older LTE your are now using the faster version.

This might also be hardware related, depending on your iPad model, you can't use Extended LTE

http://www.apple.com/ipad/LTE/

No. Not at all. Extended as the carrier name means you are out of range from VZW towers and you are using another companies towers (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) (does not apply to virtual carriers as they rent carriers infastructure.

Thank you for the best simple explanation. I'm traveling, so I assumed it had something to do with towers.