AT&T Invests Nearly $625 Million in Illinois Wireless and Wireline Networks in First Half of 2013

Blazing speeds.  Great reliability.  Broad coverage.  Excellent overall performance.  That’s what Illinois 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 $625 million in its wireless and wired networks in Illinois.  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.

Project Velocity IP is also spurring the deployment of advanced fiber-optic connections to thousands of Illinois businesses.  In just the first six months of 2013, nearly 6,100 additional business customer locations in Illinois – located in 125 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.

“AT&T’s network investment supports Illinois’ economic health and our residents’ ability to succeed at work and at home,” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said.  “The expansion of 4G mobile Internet access helps to ensure that people across the state have greater access to the latest mobile services and applications.”

As part of Project VIP, AT&T also deployed advanced wired IP broadband connections for consumers, including AT&T U-verse® services for nearly 32,250 customer locations in Illinois, 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 Illinois 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, now 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.****

See our Chicago highlights in our Chicago press release: http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=24591&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=36794&mapcode=consumer|wireless.

“Fast, reliable connectivity is essential to both quality of life and competitiveness at work,” said AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza.  “No one understands that better than we do, and no one is doing more than AT&T to mobilize a world that works for people in Illinois.  With initiatives like Project Velocity IP, we’re working to ensure that Illinois consumers and businesses remain at the leading edge of broadband services.”

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 1 of 2 in Illinois, where AT&T tied for 1st in Chicago – from January through June this year.*****

The 2013 year-to-date network investment builds on the more than $3.25 billion that AT&T has invested in its Illinois wireless and wired networks from 2010 through 2012.

AT&T 4G LTE is now available in multiple areas of the state, including Chicago, Carbondale-Marion, Quad Cities and Sterling. 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 Illinois 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.