AT&T Boosts Network Investment in Indiana ahead of March Madness College Basketball Tournament
Fiber, 5G and FirstNet® Upgrades in the Hoosier State Will Benefit Fans, Visitors, Businesses, Students, First Responders and Residents for Years to Come
Hoosier State network upgrades as March Madness kicks off AT&T* is expanding and fortifying its network across the country as we move into the 5G era, and Indiana residents and local hoops fans are getting connected to many of those new capabilities ahead of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament in Indianapolis later this month. The upgrades we’re making in the capitol and around the state will expand network access, boost speeds and improve public safety for everyone in the region for years to come.
One of our most exciting upgrades is that we’re bringing our super-fast AT&T 5G+ service to Lucas Oil Stadium by the end of March. 5G+ is our name for 5G service delivered over a millimeter wave spectrum, which is ideal for high-traffic areas. Adding 5G+ to the seating bowl, main concourse, and outside perimeter of Lucas Oil Stadium for the Final Four and future events will enable an experience like never before for fans in attendance who have capable devices and qualifying plans. And for fans watching this year’s tournament and future games at home, the broadcast networks will also have access to 5G+, which will allow them to present content in new and immersive ways.
In addition to Lucas Oil Stadium, visitors to nearby Monument Circle will also have access to 5G+ as well. And AT&T 5G, delivered over sub-6 spectrum is available to customers across Indianapolis and throughout Indiana.1
What network upgrades is AT&T making in Indiana? We’re investing in our network in three areas: fiber, FirstNet and 5G.
- Fiber: From 2017 through 2019, we expanded access to high-speed internet in Indiana by building more than 380,000 additional fiber connections in Indianapolis and South Bend. And we’re adding more residential and business locations as we densify our footprint in Indy and the surrounding areas. We will share more information on fiber expansion plans shortly, but consider this great news for fans who tune in to hours of college basketball across multiple devices both at home and at work.
- FirstNet, Built with AT&T:
- FirstNet is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community. While commercial wireless offerings remain available to public safety, FirstNet continues to grow because it offers distinct advantages from those commercial offerings. The FirstNet network is providing public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity when they need it, unique benefits like always-on priority and preemption, and high-quality Band 14 spectrum. Band 14 is nationwide spectrum set aside by the government specifically for FirstNet. It gives public safety a dedicated lane of connectivity when needed. That’s unique in the industry and something public safety won’t get anywhere else. We’ve blanketed Indiana with Band 14, including in markets such as Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, South Bend and Terre Haute.
- As part of the FirstNet network expansion taking place across Indiana, we’ve also launched new, purpose-built FirstNet cell sites to bring increased coverage, capacity and capabilities for the state’s first responders. Eighteen counties across Indiana – including Brown, Decatur, Fountain, Greene, Jennings, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Orange, Owen, Ripley and more – now have newly launched FirstNet cell sites using Band 14 spectrum, as well as AT&T commercial spectrum.
- 5G: Indianapolis was at the forefront of our nationwide 5G launch in 2019, and we’ve continued to expand access to the service across the state since then.
- In addition to the 5G+ upgrades outlined above, Indiana customers continue to enjoy the Nation’s Fastest 5G Wireless Network according to the latest results from Ookla® Speedtest.®2 What’s more, we have the Fastest 5G Network in Indianapolis.3
- In December, AT&T teamed with Purdue College of Engineering to create one of the first 5G research and development testbeds in the U.S. The testbed, located in the Indiana 5G Zone, is home to AT&T’s 5G mmWave and multi-access edge computing (MEC) technologies. MEC combined with 5G will power near real-time data collection and analysis to advance state-of-the-art technology development. The Indiana 5G Zone will drive innovation through projects with a commercial focus. The lab is expected to attract a diverse group of entrepreneurs across a broad range of technology companies, universities, government, and other research facilities to develop 5G use cases outside of smartphones.
- Indiana Donor Network is a federally designated organ recovery organization and an accredited tissue bank, serving as the vital link between donors and patients waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, healing tissues and corneas to restore sight. The company is using 5G connectivity in laptops to ensure seamless communications with hospitals, physicians, transplant teams, and transportation providers across the state. In addition, AT&T enables the company’s 24/7/365 communications center that handled more than 29,000 calls last year, which supports their mission to save and heal lives through donation and transplantation.
Total Statewide Investment Overall, from 2017-2019 we invested more than $450 million in our wireless and wireline networks in Indianapolis – and more than $1.1 billion statewide – to expand coverage and improve connectivity in more communities.
Through our participation in the FCC’s Connect America Fund universal service program, we have been helping to meet the connectivity needs of customers in largely rural areas and to expand the opportunities enabled by internet access. By the end of 2019, we offered high-speed internet access to over 36,000 locations across Indiana in mostly rural areas through technologies like Fixed Wireless Internet.
AT&T’s Commitment to Indiana is About More than Technology AT&T launched the Believe Indy initiative in 2019 to lift lives and help reduce violent crime in Indianapolis. Through Believe, in less than 2 years AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have provided more than $550,000 to 21 nonprofits across the city. Our employees have also volunteered to mentor local students, feed the homeless, fill backpacks with school supplies and work at events that are geared toward improving relationships between public safety and the neighborhoods they serve. Most recently, the company gave the Martin Luther King Community Center in Indianapolis $10,000 to boost its community outreach efforts. The Believe Indy effort is an extension of AT&T Believes, a larger company-wide initiative, which aims to create positive change in local communities.
Additionally, outside the capital city, this January AT&T provided a $10,000 grant to the Montgomery County Community Foundation, which is helping people who are struggling due to the pandemic. And near the end of last year, the AT&T Foundation gave $5,000 to the Crisis Response Fund of the Evansville Region, also to help vulnerable communities who have been impacted by COVID-19.
What are people saying?
“March Madness will be just the latest opportunity for residents and visitors to experience AT&T’s investment in and commitment to Indiana, whether it’s our fiber network, our 5G network, or first responders with FirstNet. From small businesses to television production crews to basketball fans to students and entrepreneurs, our network is built to keep you safe, connected, productive, and thrilled.”
– Bill Soards, president, AT&T Indiana.
“AT&T truly understands the critical nature of the work we do. Their team offers ideas and solutions to help us operate more efficiently, but more importantly, they always remember our donor heroes and the people in our community that have been impacted by donation and transplantation.”
– Stacey Hubbard, Director Business Analytics and Regulatory Compliance, Indiana Donor Network.
“AT&T has continually invested in all of the Indiana communities where this year’s tournament will take place, setting us up for great success. In downtown Indianapolis, in particular, the company has brought 5G connectivity that will benefit event organizers, local restaurants and hotels and of course, the many fans we’re excited to welcome here.”
– Ryan Vaughn, President, Indiana Sports Corp.
FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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