AT&T Expanding Wireless and Broadband Coverage in Kentucky; Investing $52 Million in Network Upgrades in 2008
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Company Deploying 40 New Cell Sites in Kentucky This Year; Investments in Wired and Wireless Networks Top $473 Million During the Past Three Years
LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 4 - AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today an investment of more than $52 million in the Kentucky network to expand wireless coverage.
AT&T will add 40 new cell sites in the state this year and will roll out its higher-speed wireless network by the end of 2008 as part of the company's $52 million statewide wireless investment in 2008. There are more than 750 cell sites currently operated in the state.
AT&T has delivered dramatic changes in Kentucky through the introduction of its third-generation (3G) wireless broadband network. This year, AT&T will expand its wireless 3G network in the U.S. to more than 80 additional cities, including Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, Murray and Evansville, Ind. This planned expansion will bring AT&T's 3G wireless services to nearly 350 leading U.S. markets by the end of 2008, including all of the top 100 cities.
AT&T's 3G wireless network makes it possible for customers to use their 3G handsets to quickly access feature-rich wireless content, including videos, games, pictures and the latest music, entertainment, news and weather, through MEdia Net, the company's mobile Internet portal.
AT&T 3G customers also can take advantage of Video Share, a first-of-its- kind technology in the U.S. that allows users to share live video during a wireless call. Additionally, the AT&T 3G network offers AT&T LaptopConnect mobile customers faster speeds for their laptops, with the ability to send and receive large files and access the Internet, their company's intranet or corporate e-mail from anywhere within the 3G network.
"The company has invested $473 million from 2005 through 2007 in Kentucky's wired and wireless networks," said Joan Coleman, president of AT&T Kentucky. "Our significant investment throughout the past three years will have a positive impact at both the state and community levels, in addition to the benefits that our customers will receive."
The AT&T Kentucky network includes more than 6,800 sheath miles of high-capacity fiber-optic cable. In 2008, new sites and other network enhancements will be deployed to expand wireless coverage for consumers and businesses. Since late 2007, AT&T has deployed:
o A cell site just north of Franklin, which will improve coverage and the
customer experience in central Simpson County in western Kentucky.
o The implementation of a new cell site at the Fort Knox military base
between Muldraugh and Radcliff.
o A new cell site located in Brainard in the northwestern area of Floyd
County. The new cell site will connect coverage along Highway 114 from
Salyersville to Prestonburg.
o A new cell site in Tompkinsville located in Monroe County.
o A new cell site located near I-24 and Purchase Parkway just south of
Calvert City.
o A new cell site located near the 60 Bypass between U.S. highways 431 and
231, near Owensboro.
AT&T diligently monitors the quality and coverage of its wireless network. In addition to third-party vendors that assess the company's network performance, AT&T engineers constantly monitor the network and drive approximately 450,000 miles annually across Tennessee, Kentucky and southern Indiana to ensure that the network is operating at peak efficiency. That's equivalent to more than 17 trips around the world.
"High-quality coverage and the ability to communicate wherever you are and however you want -- those are our goals," said Jim Thorpe, vice president and general manager for AT&T's wireless operations for Tennessee and Kentucky. "Through our ability to combine wireless and wireline networks, AT&T is accelerating the convergence of new voice, data and video services that will lead the industry's shift to next-generation, Internet Protocol-based technologies."
AT&T's wireless network is based on the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology, the most open and widely used network platform in the world. AT&T plans to complete the nation's first High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)-enabled network by the middle of the year. HSUPA substantially increases upload speeds on the 3G network, allowing AT&T's HSUPA-enabled laptop users to more quickly send large files and take full advantage of the latest interactive Internet and business applications.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.
Source: AT&T Inc.
CONTACT: Cathy Lewandowski, AT&T Market Manager, +1-615-214-5874, mobile, +1-615-804-6241, cathy.lewandowski@att.com
Web site: http://www.att.com/
