AT&T Enhances Mobile Broadband Coverage Inside MacArthur Center Mall
New Distributed Antenna System Provides Additional Capacity to Help Enhance Wireless Experience for Hampton Roads Customers
HAMPTON ROADS, Va., May 26 -- As part of its continuing network investment to support growing demand for advanced mobile devices and applications, AT&T* today announced the activation of a new antenna system in the Hampton Roads area that will help to enhance wireless service.
Known as a Distributed Antenna System, or DAS, the installation consists of several strategically placed antennas that distribute AT&T's wireless network coverage throughout MacArthur Center Mall in Norfolk providing for more efficient management of wireless capacity in heavily trafficked areas. The additional capacity will help to improve call reliability, increase download speeds and enable more consistent network access to help customers make the most of their AT&T devices.
"Our goal is pretty simple: we want you to have an extraordinary experience when you make a call, check e-mail, download a song or video, or surf the Internet on your AT&T device," said Erika K, Thompson-Kemp, vice president and general manager for AT&T in Virginia and West Virginia. "As part of the Hampton Roads community, we're always looking for new opportunities to provide enhanced coverage and our investment in the local wireless network is just one way to accomplish this."
Wireless data traffic on the AT&T network has grown more than 5,000 percent over the past three years, largely attributed to the increasing popularity of advanced smartphones and the performance of AT&T's 3G network, the nation's fastest.
AT&T recently completed a software upgrade at 3G cell sites nationwide that prepares the nation's fastest 3G network for even faster speeds. The deployment of High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is the first of multiple initiatives in AT&T's network enhancement strategy designed to provide customers with an enhanced mobile broadband experience, both today and in the future. Faster 3G speeds will become available this year and in 2011 on a market by market basis as AT&T combines the new technology with high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic technology.
AT&T's 3G mobile broadband network is based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies that includes GSM and UMTS, the most widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T has the best international coverage of any U.S. wireless provider, delivering voice service in over 220 countries and data service in more than 190 countries. AT&T also offers voice and data roaming coverage on 130 major cruise ships, as well as 3G services in 115 countries.
For more information about AT&T's 3G coverage in Virginia or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer. The online tool can measure the quality of coverage based on a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.
*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.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, 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. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.
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