SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Aug. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- At
AT&T1, we've invested more than $7.2 billion in our Illinois wireless and wired networks during
2011-2018. 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 second quarter 2019 results from tests
taken with Speedtest® and analyzed by Ookla®.2
In 2018, AT&T made 1,751 wireless network upgrades in
Illinois. We added new cell sites
and increased network capacity.
"This private sector investment is crucial for
Illinois, because it will pave the
path to 5G mobile services in the years ahead," said Eileen Mitchell, president of AT&T Illinois.
"Thanks to Illinois policies that
encourage private companies to invest more in wireless
infrastructure, we're speeding our wireless build out plans to
strengthen our mobile network in Illinois. We're helping attract new jobs and
innovation to the state while we give our customers the tools they
need to stay connected and entertained."
The AT&T LTE network covers more than 400 million people in
North America. Notable Illinois network enhancements in 2018
included:
- Making more than 1,712 capacity upgrades
- Adding 4 new cell sites
- Expanding 4G LTE to 4 cell sites
- Improving 31 DAS networks
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
Illinois, 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 Chicago, Aurora, Joliet, Rockford, Springfield and Peoria in Illinois, to name a few. Band 14 is
high-quality spectrum provided by the First Responder Network
Authority (FirstNet). 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.
- Illinois 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
11,400 locations across Illinois 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 Illinois area, we market our internet service
powered by AT&T Fiber℠ to more than 500 thousand 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 Illinois, 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.
1AT&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.
2Based on analysis by Ookla® of
Speedtest Intelligence® data average download speeds for Q2 2019..
Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with
permission.
3Based 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.
4Actual
customer speeds may vary. Download speeds are typically up to
940Mbps due to overhead capacity reserved to deliver the
data.
5The 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 Q2 2019.
***GWS OneScore, September 2018.
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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