AT&T Enhances Indianapolis Mobile Internet Coverage for NCAA Men’s Final Four Basketball Championship

Upgraded 4G LTE Distributed Antenna Systems and Super Cell on Wheels (COW) Provide Additional Wireless Capacity and Coverage for Customers

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., April 1, 2015 — When fans head to Indianapolis for the NCAA^® Men’s Final Four^® basketball championship and pre-game festivities, they can expect to enjoy an enhanced mobile experience as they pull out their wireless devices to share once-in-a-lifetime moments with friends and family.

AT&T* has expanded its mobile Internet coverage by completing upgrades to the Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at the stadium in Indianapolis and the Indiana Convention Center that will help fans post selfies and share on social media faster than ever before, as part of its continuing network investment to support growing demand for advanced wireless devices and services. The upgraded DAS at the stadium will provide double the LTE capacity compared to the end of the 2014 football season.

“When our customers head out in Indianapolis to celebrate and cheer on their favorite team, we want to ensure they have a great network experience no matter what they’re doing – whether that’s making a call, checking email or sharing their favorite moments on social media,” said Brian Ducharme, AT&T vice president and general manager Great Lakes Region, which includes Indiana. . “Most of the network enhancements deployed in Indianapolis for the NCAA^® Men’s Final Four^® are permanent and will continue to benefit customers afterward. It’s just one way we’re continuing to invest in our Indianapolis area wireless network.”

“Fans sharing memorable NCAA^® Men’s Final Four^® moments with family and friends as they’re occurring is an increasing part of the excitement surrounding the championship games,” said Keith Martin, NCAA managing director of marketing and broadcast alliances. “Being headquartered in Indianapolis, we especially appreciate the many AT&T network upgrades since they will not only enhance the experience now but in future as well.”

AT&T has deployed a Super COW equipped with the Luneburg Lens Antenna for the first time in Indiana. The innovative antenna will provide attendees with nine times the capacity of a traditional single-beam antenna. This will help fans more easily send texts, tweets, selfies, videos and more during the NCAA^® Men’s Final Four^®.  The Super COW, located near the White River park area, will help improve reliability and data speeds in the week leading up to the games and during the NCAA^® March Madness^® Music Festival – AT&T Block Party. AT&T also provides an AT&T Wi-Fi City Hot Zone in downtown Indianapolis.

The Luneburg Lens Antenna is AT&T’s latest antenna technology innovation. The spherical ball antenna sends radio frequencies more efficiently for cellular usage in various directions based on how AT&T network engineers coordinate it. The innovative antenna created to cover big events like the NCAA^® Men’s Final Four^® will help provide attendees with the best possible customer experience during the event.

AT&T enhanced more than 20 Indianapolis cell sites in Marion County over the past year by adding new layers of frequency or “carriers, which is like adding more lanes to a highway carrying traffic from a customer’s device to the cell tower, resulting in faster speeds and more reliable service. The capacity of the nearby cell towers around the stadium is double what it was in 2012. These investments help to ensure that Indianapolis residents continue to enjoy the best possible experience over the AT&T network, whether at home, at work or on the go.  AT&T’s network has the nation’s strongest LTE signal, ** and AT&T also has the nation’s most reliable LTE network.

A DAS installation consists of multiple strategically-placed antennas that distribute AT&T’s wireless network coverage throughout venues, which provide increased wireless capacity in heavily-trafficked areas.  DAS has the ability to provide enhanced, consistent wireless coverage to customers in indoor or outdoor spaces where geographical limitations – terrain, building construction, etc. – or crowd density might otherwise prevent an optimal wireless experience.

AT&T’s focus to deliver the best possible mobile Internet experience goes beyond 4G to embrace additional connection technologies. AT&T owns and operates more than 34,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers, and provides access to more than 1 million hotspots globally through roaming agreements.  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 invested nearly $375 million in its Indianapolis area wireless and wireline networks from 2012 through 2014 and nearly $2 billion in its wireless and wired networks in Indiana between 2012 through 2014. Over the past six years (2009-2014), AT&T invested more than $140 billion including investments in its wireless and wireline networks, acquisitions of wireless spectrum and operations. Since 2009, AT&T has invested more in the United States than any other public company. In a September 2014 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 Indianapolis 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. Learn more about our network here.

*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.

** Claim based on avg. LTE signal strength for national carriers. 

*** Claim based on analysis of independent third party data re national carriers’ 4G LTE.   LTE is a trademark of ETSI.  4G LTE not available everywhere. 

**** A Wi-Fi enabled device required. Other restrictions apply. See www.attwifi.com for details and locations.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T, news, filings) helps millions of people and businesses around the globe stay connected through leading wireless, high-speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. We’re helping people mobilize their worlds with state-of-the-art communications, entertainment services and amazing innovations like connected cars and devices for homes, offices and points in between. Our U.S. wireless network offers customers the nation’s strongest LTE signal and the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network. We offer the best global wireless coverage. We’re improving how our customers stay entertained and informed with AT&T U-verse^® TV and High Speed Internet services. And businesses worldwide are serving their customers better with AT&T’s mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.

Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

© 2015 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 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.

Reliability and signal strength claims based on nationwide carriers’ LTE. Signal strength claim based ONLY on avg. LTE signal strength. LTE not available everywhere. Global coverage claim based on offering voice and data roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier, and offering the most wireless smartphones and tablets that work in the most countries.

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.

NCAA, March Madness and Final Four are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association