OREANDA-NEWS. September 07, 2012. AT&T* is driving investment and innovation across Texas to deliver superior 4G service and the best possible mobile Internet experience, reported the press-centre of AT&T.  

In the first half of 2012, AT&T invested nearly USD 1.1 billion in Texas wireless and wired networks.  Network upgrades include activation of new cell sites or towers to improve network coverage, deploying faster connections to enable 4G speeds, and adding spectrum capacity to support additional traffic.

First-half upgrade highlights include:

LTE Launches in Dallas, Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi, Bryan-College Station, and most recently Waco.

14 New Cell Sites and expansion of capacity at another 124 sites throughout North Texas, upgrades to network connections at over 400  sites  and over 1300 carrier additions in areas including: Palestine, Longview, Paris, Tyler, Athens, El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, and  across Dallas- Fort Worth

Four new cell sites in: Austin (downtown), Heights (Houston), Woodlands Oak Ridge (Houston), and Woller Creek (San Antonio), more than 900 carrier additions, 150 Ethernet to cell site migrations and 128 3G expansions completed in areas including: San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Beaumont, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, and the Rio Grande Valley.

AT&T network upgrades in Texas also include deployment of new Wi-Fi hot spots and backbone network connections.

“We’re working to build a 4G network that’s first in class to provide our customers with a superior mobile Internet experience,” said Dave Nichols AT&T Texas President.  “The ongoing investment we’re making across Texas is designed to increase 4G coverage, reliability and speed.  We also continue to invest in technologies like Wi-Fi and DAS to help our customers stay a step ahead.”

AT&T’s innovation and investment has resulted in the nation’s largest 4G network, covering 275 million people with ultra-fast speeds and a more consistent user experience.  AT&T is the only U.S. service provider to deploy two compatible 4G technologies to deliver more speed to more customers.  Our 4G LTE network delivered faster speeds on average than any of our competitors in PCWorld’s most recent 13-market speed tests.

AT&T’s 4G LTE network delivers speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G**, as well as multiple innovations that optimize the network for performance.  Our network’s radio components are placed close to the antenna at most cell sites, instead of inside the base station, which helps minimize power loss between the base station and antenna and, in turn, improves the performance of our LTE network.  The network also is designed with its core elements distributed across the country, which helps reduce latency, or the delay when using the Internet, because your request isn’t traveling as far.

Even as AT&T continues to expand its LTE coverage in 2012 and 2013, customers can get 4G speeds outside of LTE areas on our 4G HSPA+ network,  unlike competitor’s, where customers fall back to slower 3G technologies outside of LTE.  And only AT&T’s 4G network lets iPhone 4S download three times faster.

AT&T’s focus to deliver the best possible mobile Internet experience goes beyond 4G to embrace additional connection technologies.  AT&T operates the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network*** including more than 30,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers across the country.  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.

AT&T also is a leading developer of Distributed Antenna System (DAS) networks, which utilize multiple small antennas to maximize coverage and speed within stadiums, convention centers, office buildings, hotels and other areas where traditional coverage methods are challenging.

Over the past five years, AT&T invested more than USD 115 billion into operations and into acquiring spectrum and other assets that have enhanced our wireless and wired networks. Since 2007, AT&T has invested more capital into the U.S. economy than any other public company.  In a July 2012 report, the Progressive Policy Institute ranked AT&T No. 1 on its list of U.S. “Investment Heroes.”

For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Texas or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer.  For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

**Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. Deployment ongoing. 4G LTE device and data plan required. Up to 10x claim compares 4G LTE download speeds to industry average 3G download speeds. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Learn more about 4G LTE at att.com/network.

*** Access includes AT&T Wi-Fi Basic.  A Wi-Fi enabled device required. Other restrictions apply. See www.attwifi.com for details and locations.