MONTGOMERY, Ala., June 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- At
AT&T1, we've invested more than $1.4 billion in our Alabama wireless and wired networks during
2016-2018. These investments boost reliability, coverage, speed and
overall performance for residents and businesses. We've improved
critical services that support Public Safety and first responders
using the FirstNet communications platform. And, we've helped meet
the needs of customers in largely rural areas through our
participation in the FCC's Connect America Fund.
AT&T's wireless network covers more than 99% of all
Americans and has become the fastest wireless network in the
nation, according to the first quarter 2019 results from tests
taken with Speedtest® and analyzed by Ookla®.2
"Alabama's leaders have worked
hard to create an environment that welcomes this level of
investment from AT&T and others in the private sector," said
Katie Boyd Britt, president and CEO
of the Business Council of Alabama. "In order to pave the way for
sustained investment and ensure our residents and businesses in
communities across Alabama enjoy
the type of connectivity they need and want, both today and
tomorrow, Alabama must work to
find solutions to expand wireless broadband."
The AT&T LTE network now covers more than 400 million people
in North America. In 2018, AT&T made hundreds of wireless
network upgrades in Alabama,
including the construction and activation of 8 new cell sites.
Notable Alabama network
enhancements in 2018 included more than 1160 LTE capacity adds to
over 530 cell sites across Alabama.
"The significant investments AT&T is making in Alabama allows our over 4,600 AT&T
employees who call Alabama home to
enhance our wireless and wired networks and bring a host of new,
innovative opportunities to keep communities and first responders
connected, drive economic growth and spur job creation," said
AT&T Alabama president Wayne
Hutchens.
By building out our 4G LTE network, we're boosting network
speeds and capacity, as we continue to expand the availability of
our network and upgrade our technology.
Additionally, for the 5th consecutive year we've landed
on Fortune magazine's list of the "World's Most
Admired" companies. It's also the 6th year in a row we've appeared
on the Global Top 50 list – no other telecom company made the Top
50.
Transforming Public Safety Communications
FirstNet is Public Safety's dedicated, nationwide communications
platform. It is for all first responders – career and volunteer,
urban or rural. It's bringing public safety communications into the
21st century with new, innovative capabilities, helping first
responders connect to the critical information they need – every
day and in every emergency.
Building upon our current and planned investments in
Alabama, we continue to extend the
reach and increase the capacity of the FirstNet communications
platform:
- Deployed Band 14 spectrum in more than 600 markets
nationwide, including Anniston,
Birmingham, Florence, Franklin, Gadsden, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa. Band 14 is
high-quality spectrum provided by the First Responder Network
Authority. Its signal covers larger geographic areas with less
infrastructure to better support rural communities, and it can
better reach in-building in more urban areas as compared to
higher-MHz spectrum.
- Alabama first responders enjoy
the fastest overall experience on FirstNet, compared to any
commercial network in the nation, thanks to the specialized
capabilities enabled by the physically separate and dedicated
FirstNet network core, like always-on priority and
preemption.3
- Public safety agencies subscribed to FirstNet have 24/7 access
to a nationwide fleet of 75 deployable network assets. These assets
can either be deployed for planned events or called upon in
emergencies to help first responders stay connected and operate
faster, safer and more effectively when lives are on the line.
FirstNet is built with AT&T in a public-private partnership
with the First Responder Network Authority – an independent agency
within the federal government. This helps ensure that the FirstNet
communications platform and service offerings meet the short- and
long-term needs of the public safety community.
Our commitment to rural America
Through our participation in the FCC's Connect America Fund
universal service program, AT&T has 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
2020, AT&T will have used funds from this FCC program to help
deploy, maintain and offer internet access and voice services to
more than 1.1 million mostly rural homes and small business
locations in FCC-identified areas. By the end of 2018, we offered
high-speed internet access to over 40,000 locations across
Alabama in mostly rural areas
through technologies like Fixed Wireless Internet.
Our internet offerings
We now market a 1
gigabit connection4 on our 100%
fiber network to more than 12 million locations
across 85 major metro areas nationwide. In the Alabama area,
we market our internet service powered by AT&T Fiber to more
than 300,000 customer locations.
We plan to reach about 14 million locations across at least 85
metro areas by mid-2019 for consumers.
We are the largest U.S.-based provider of fiber for business
services. There are over 500,000 U.S. business buildings lit with
AT&T fiber, and we're adding thousands more each month.
Within those buildings, AT&T now enables high-speed fiber
connections to over 2.2 million U.S. business customer locations.
And if you count businesses near our fiber network, that number
quadruples. Nationwide, more than 8 million business customer
locations are on or within 1,000 feet of our fiber.5
To learn more about our wireless coverage in Alabama, or anywhere in the U.S., visit the
AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless
network, please visit the AT&T network news page.
1 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.
2 Based on analysis by Ookla®
of Speedtest Intelligence® data average download speeds for Q1
2019. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with
permission.
3 Based on AT&T analysis of Ookla®
Speedtest Intelligence® nationwide data average download speeds for
Q1 2019. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with
permission.
4 Actual customer speeds may vary. Download
speeds are typically up to 940Mbps due to overhead capacity
reserved to deliver the data.
5 The over 2.2 million U.S. business
customer locations, which AT&T provides high-speed fiber
connections, is included within the 8M U.S. business customer locations on or within
1,000 feet of our fiber.
Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking
Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial
estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to
risks and uncertainties, and actual results may 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 or revise statements
contained in this news release based on new information or
otherwise.
*About AT&T Communications
We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways
every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video
streaming, we innovate to improve lives. We have the nation's
fastest wireless network.** And according to America's biggest
test, we have the nation's best wireless network.*** We're building
FirstNet just for first responders and creating next-generation
mobile 5G. With DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW and WatchTV, we deliver
entertainment people love to talk about. Our smart, highly secure
solutions serve nearly 3 million global businesses – nearly all of
the Fortune 1000. And worldwide, our spirit of service drives
employees to give back to their communities.
AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). Learn
more at att.com/CommunicationsNews.
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. Additional information about
AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com.
Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at
facebook.com/att and on YouTube at youtube.com/att.
© 2019 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service
marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of
their respective owners.
**Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data
average download speeds for Q1 2019.
***According to America's biggest test as announced by Global
Wireless Solutions last fall.
FirstNet® and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks of the
First Responder Network Authority.
To define a market, we rely on the Core Based Statistical Areas
(CBSA), as established by the United States Office of Management
and Budget. Minor differences, if any, between annual totals
reflect annual updating of market boundaries in our record
systems.
From FORTUNE Magazine. 2019 Time Inc. FORTUNE© and The World's
Most Admired Companies® are registered trademarks of Time Inc. and
are used under License. FORTUNE and Time Inc. are not affiliated
with, and do not endorse products or services of, AT&T.
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