OREANDA-NEWS. April 21, 2015. Imagine downloading 25 songs in less than one second, or before you can even crank up the volume. Imagine loading your favorite HD movie in less than 36 seconds, a fraction of the time it takes to pick which movie to watch.

It’s now a reality for qualifying residents and small businesses with today’s launch of   U-verse with AT&T* GigaPower in parts of Elgin, Oswego, Plainfield, Skokie, Yorkville and surrounding communities located throughout the metro area. Additionally, AT&T has announced plans to expand the service to Chicago this summer.**

"Our residents and small business owners want choices and access to fast and reliable Internet service.  The announcement that AT&T is launching its AT&T GigaPower network in Skokie is welcome news for our community." said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen.   

“Everyone wants access to the fastest and strongest Internet networks, because high-speed Internet connections improve access to education, health care, employment opportunities and public safety responders,” said State Rep. Lou Lang.  “Today’s announcement that AT&T is offering its ultrafast AT&T GigaPower fiber network is great news for consumers and small businesses.”

The AT&T GigaPower network delivers the speed customers’ need to power all of their devices and connect them to the content that matters most.  Ultra-fast Internet speeds up to 1 gigabit per second*** improve the customer experience for consumers and small businesses using the network to connect to the cloud, videoconferencing, online gaming or for other services.

U-verse with AT&T GigaPower customers are also getting faster Wi-Fi speeds through an upgraded residential gateway that takes advantage of the latest in Wi-Fi technology. The new gateway connects more devices with faster speeds from nearly anywhere in the home or business.

Customers who subscribe to U-verse with AT&T GigaPower will continue to have access to award-winning TV services. For example, they can watch and record up to five HD programs at the same time. AT&T GigaPower subscribers will also be able to record and store more of their favorite shows--up to 900 hours of SD or 330 hours of HD programming. Customers can access the AT&T U-verse App on more than 30 smartphones and tablets to watch more than 230 live TV channels in their home, and up to 150 live TV channels while on the go - that’s more live TV channels on the go than cable. Customers can also stream video on-demand, schedule DVR recordings, and access other features from the U-verse app.

Consumers in eligible areas can choose from a variety of plans. AT&T offers single, double and triple play bundles, so customers can select a combination of services to fit their needs. The packages below include waivers of equipment, installation and activation fees.

  • U-verse High Speed Internet Premier: Internet speeds up to 1Gbps starting as low as \\$120 a month, or speeds at 100Mbps as low as \\$90 a month, with a one year price guarantee.****
  • U-verse High Speed Internet Premier + TV: Internet speeds up to 1Gbps and qualifying TV service starting as low as \\$150 a month, or speeds at 100Mbps and qualifying TV service as low as \\$120 a month, with a one year price guarantee.
  • U-verse High Speed Internet Premier + TV + Voice: Internet speeds up to 1Gbps with qualifying TV service and Unlimited U-verse Voice starting as low as \\$180 a month, or speeds at 100Mbps with qualifying TV service and Unlimited U-verse Voice as low as \\$150 a month, with a two year price guarantee.

“We’re excited to launch our ultra high-speed AT&T GigaPower network to these first locations in Illinois.  Residents and small businesses want the latest technologies and AT&T is delivering,” said Paul La Schiazza, AT&T Illinois President. “The AT&T GigaPower network will help encourage economic growth by facilitating a new wave of innovation through enhanced opportunities for education, health, research and small business growth.”  

This time last year AT&T announced plans to build on the success of the first AT&T GigaPower market in Austin by expanding its all-fiber network to up to 100 cities across 25 markets. U-verse with AT&T GigaPower is now available to consumers and small businesses across parts of 10 total markets – Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Cupertino, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem. AT&T has already announced plans to deliver AT&T GigaPower in parts of seven more markets – Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Miami; Nashville, Tenn.; St. Louis and San Antonio.

Frost & Sullivan recently recognized AT&T for its leadership in high-speed Internet services, awarding the company the 2015 North American Competitive Strategy and Innovation Leadership of the Year Award for Broadband. The analyst firm praised AT&T for its “aggressive pursuit of higher bandwidth access” for customers through its AT&T GigaPower network initiative.

Additionally, AT&T has committed that upon approval of its proposed acquisition of DIRECTV, the company will expand the AT&T GigaPower network to an additional 2 million customer locations. All of these 2 million locations are over and above what the company announced in 2014.

AT&T has invested more than \\$3 billion in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Illinois between 2012 through 2014, driving a wide range of upgrades to reliability, coverage, speed and performance for residents and business customers.

As part of its Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan focused on network enhancements and expansions, AT&T in 2014 made more than 450 wireless network upgrades in Illinois, including 98 new cell sites and over 300 new wireless high-speed Internet connections.

For more information, or to check availability, please visit att.com/gigapower.

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* 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.

** Initial availability limited to select areas. May not be available in your area.

*** Internet speed claims represent maximum network service capability speeds. Actual customer speeds may vary and are not guaranteed. Actual speeds vary based on factors including site traffic, content provider server capacity, internal network management factors, customer device capabilities and use of other U-verse services.  Max speeds may not be realized if 2 or more HD shows viewed at same time. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101

**** U-verse with AT&T GigaPower Premier offer is available with agreement from customer to participate in AT&T Internet Preferences. AT&T may use Web browsing information, like the search terms entered and the Web pages visited, to provide customers with relevant offers and ads tailored to their interests.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the network with the nation’s strongest LTE signal as well as the nation’s most reliable LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best global wireless coverage, based on offering voice and LTE data roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier, and offering more world capable wireless smartphones and tablets than any other U.S. based carrier. It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse® brand. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. 

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