PIERRE, S.D., Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Blazing speeds. Great reliability. Broad coverage. Excellent overall performance. That's what South Dakota 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.
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In the first half of 2013, AT&T invested nearly $20 million in its wireless and wired networks in South Dakota. 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.
These investments help to ensure that South Dakota 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.****
"Fast, reliable connectivity is essential to both quality of life and competitiveness at work," said Cheryl Riley, AT&T's Director of External Affairs for South Dakota. "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 South Dakota. With initiatives like Project Velocity IP, we're working to ensure that South Dakota consumers and businesses remain at the leading edge of broadband services."
Highlights of network upgrades completed so far this year in South Dakota include the introduction of 4G LTE service in Watertown and Brookings, and the construction of new sites to better serve Hartford and Huron.
"This type of private investment is huge for our state," said Sen. Corey Brown. "As policy-makers, we need to do everything possible to encourage continued investment in our broadband infrastructure and ensure that all of our citizens from every corner of the state are connected to the digital age. We need these next-generation capabilities to fuel everything from real-time videoconferencing, secure transfers of medical records, entertainment, online banking, e-commerce, citizen participation in government and much more."
The 2013 year-to-date network investment builds on the nearly $80 million that AT&T has invested in its South Dakota wireless and wired networks from 2010 through 2012.
AT&T 4G LTE is now available in multiple areas of the state, including Brookings and Watertown. 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 Dakota 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
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) 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.
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Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
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SOURCE AT&T Inc.
