AT&T INVESTS MORE THAN $1.2 BILLION IN LOUISIANA FROM 2009 THROUGH 2011 TO IMPROVE LOCAL NETWORKS
AT&T* invested more than $1.2 billion in its Louisiana wireless and wireline networks from 2009 through 2011 with a focus on improving the company’s mobile broadband coverage and overall performance of its networks.
“My administration is focused on making Louisiana more competitive, and AT&T Louisiana’s continued investments in wireless technology will help do just that,” said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. “Expanding mobile broadband access through the latest and fastest technologies is critical to the state’s economic development, education and health care sectors.”
During 2011, AT&T made more than 2,300 wireless network upgrades in four key categories in Louisiana. These enhancements include:
Activating more than 30 new cell sites or towers to improve network coverage.
Deploying faster fiber-optic connections to nearly 775 cell sites. Combined with HSPA+ technology, these deployments enable 4G speeds**.
Adding capacity or an extra layer of frequency to cell sites – like adding lanes to a highway – with the addition of more than 1,225 of these layers, or “carriers”.
Upgrading nearly 300 cell sites to provide fast mobile broadband speeds.
“A more advanced mobile broadband experience drives economic growth, stimulates jobs and equips Louisiana businesses to meet the network demands of today and tomorrow,” said Sonia Perez, state president, AT&T Louisiana. “The investments we make in our people, the network, communities and the environment can bring prosperity, growth and opportunity to our state.”
CNN Money recently recognized AT&T for enhancing its wireless network. Last year, AT&T completed 150,000 network enhancements across the country, more than triple the year before, giving customers more capacity and faster speeds, as well as improving 3G dropped-call performances by 25 percent.
AT&T plans to support the build or upgrade of thousands of cell sites nationwide to increase network speed, coverage and reliability for both mobile voice and broadband services. In addition, AT&T plans to install additional radio “carriers” at thousands of cell sites nationally, enabling new layers of spectrum capacity to carry larger volumes of mobile broadband traffic. Additional capacity helps support rising mobile data traffic volumes, which continue to increase at a rapid pace. In 2012, AT&T plans to double its 4G LTE coverage.
AT&T operates the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network*** with nearly 30,000 hotspots in the U.S. and provides access to nearly 190,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers get access to our entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost, and Wi-Fi usage doesn’t count against customers’ monthly wireless data plans.
For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Louisiana or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. Using the online tool, AT&T customers can measure coverage quality of coverage from a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark. ??For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.