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Press Release -- August 19th, 2013
Source: AT&T
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AT&T Invests Nearly $140 Million in South Carolina Wireless and Wireline Networks in First Half of 2013

Investments Strengthen Nation’s Fastest and Most Reliable 4G LTE Network In First Six Months, Project Velocity IP Results in Enhanced Wireless Network Performance, Advanced Fiber-Optic Connectivity for More Than 250 South Carolina Businesses, and AT&T U-verse Services for More Than 21,100 Customer Locations

Columbia, South Carolina, August 19, 2013

Blazing speeds. Great reliability. Broad coverage. Excellent overall performance. That’s what South Carolina residents want from their mobile Internet, and it’s exactly what AT&T* is delivering with an array of network upgrades completed in the first half of 2013.

In the first half of 2013, AT&T invested nearly $140 million in its wireless and wired networks in South Carolina. The investments included deployment of new macro cell sites, small cells and Distributed Antenna Systems across the state as a part of AT&T’s Project Velocity IP, a three-year investment plan announced last fall to expand and enhance its IP broadband networks.  The company also expanded and enhanced its 4G LTE network, which provides ultra-fast mobile Internet speeds, and deployed new Wi-Fi hot spots.

“Expanding the availability of mobile Internet services across our state will help South Carolina’s citizens and businesses compete and thrive in a global marketplace,” said Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell. “These investments are laying the technological foundation for continued economic growth and for new services and applications that will impact our lives in many areas, including education, medicine and commerce.”

Project Velocity IP is also spurring the deployment of advanced fiber-optic connections to thousands of South Carolina businesses.  In just the first six months of 2013, more than 250 additional business customer locations in South Carolina – located in nine multi-tenant office buildings across the state – now have access to blazing-fast, reliable connections to Internet and cloud-based resources, which ride on the fiber network.

As part of Project VIP, AT&T also deployed advanced wired IP broadband connections for consumers, including AT&T U-verse® services for more than 21,100 customer locations in South Carolina, in just the first six months of 2013. AT&T U-verse is an integrated bundle of services delivered over AT&T’s advanced IP network that include AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet, AT&T U-verse TV and AT&T U-verse Voice. AT&T offers customers the freedom to watch hit TV shows virtually anywhere, extensive HD channels, competitive Internet speeds, flexible bundles and continued service innovation. AT&T was recently named Frost & Sullivan Video Company of the Year.

These investments help to ensure that South Carolina residents continue to receive the best possible experience over the AT&T network, whether at home, at work or on the go.  The great performance of AT&T’s 4G LTE network, the nation’s fastest and most reliable, continues to be validated:

  • AT&T now has the most reliable 4G LTE network.  According to independent third-party data, AT&T has the highest success rate for delivering mobile content across nationwide 4G LTE networks.**
  • Meanwhile, our 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average download and upload speeds than any of our competitors in PCWorld/TechHive’s most recent 20-market speed tests – the second consecutive year that AT&T has ranked 1st overall.  PCWorld/TechHive also ranked AT&T’s as the fastest combination of 3G and 4G services in the 20 cities it tested.***
  • And AT&T was named America’s fastest 4G LTE network in PC Magazine’s 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks 30-market study – sweeping the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.****

“No one understands better than AT&T that fast, reliable connectivity is essential to both quality of life and competitiveness at work,” said Pamela Lackey, president, AT&T South Carolina.  “That’s why we are working aggressively, through initiatives like Project Velocity IP, to ensure that South Carolina consumers and businesses remain at the leading edge of broadband services. While no one is doing more than AT&T to mobilize our customers’ world, it wouldn’t be possible without the forward-looking policies enacted by the state’s leaders over many years to encourage investment in advanced technologies.”

In addition, RootMetrics® has awarded AT&T 1st or tied for 1st for strongest overall call, text, and data performance in 66 of 125 national markets – including 3 of 3 in South Carolina, where AT&T was 1st in Charleston and tied for 1st in Columbia and Greenville – from January through June this year.*****

Highlights of network upgrades completed so far this year in South Carolina include:

  • 4G LTE launches in Anderson, Dillon, Florence, Hilton Head-Bluffton and Orangeburg.

The 2013 year-to-date network investment builds on the more than $850 million that AT&T has invested in its South Carolina wireless and wired networks from 2010 through 2012.

AT&T 4G LTE is now available in multiple areas of the state, including Anderson, Charleston, Columbia, Dillon, Florence, Greenville, Hilton Head-Bluffton and Orangeburg. Nationwide, more than 225 million Americans have access to AT&T 4G LTE service.  By year-end 2013, AT&T expects to cover nearly 270 million people and 400 markets with its 4G LTE network.

For more information about AT&T’s coverage in South Carolina 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.

Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T U-verse services. Call or go to www.att.com/u-verse to see if you qualify.

*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.

** Speed claim based on comparison of national carriers’ average 4G LTE download speeds for AndroidTM and Windows smartphones and iPhone 5. Reliability claim compares data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G speeds not available everywhere.

*** PCWorld/TechHive, May 23, 2013, “AT&T clocks best overall speeds with 3G/4G combo”

**** PC Magazine, June 17, 2013; http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420333,00.asp

***** Performance rankings based on 125 RootMetrics® RootScore® Reports, January – June 2013, of 4 national mobile networks that rely on scores calculated from random samples.  Your experience may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of AT&T.  Visit www.rootmetrics.com for more details.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T, news, filings) 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 nation’s largest 4G 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 wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T |DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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/aboutus or follow our news on @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 4G not available everywhere. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this press release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

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