AT&T*, building on its strong 2010 record of network accomplishments, today announced a series of network improvements planned for this year in Kansas City and surrounding communities. The network enhancement plans are part of AT&T’s overall initiative to deliver the nation’s most advanced mobile broadband experience and make the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network even faster.
The announcement was made during a private tour of one of AT&T’s network central offices in the metro area with support from Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder and Bob Marcusse, president and CEO, Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC).
John Sondag, president of AT&T Missouri, said AT&T in 2010 made the following improvements to its network in the Kansas City area: installed 10 new cell sites and upgraded 26 cell sites to mobile broadband. By the end of 2010, AT&T provided mobile broadband coverage to nearly 95 percent of the Kansas City area**.
“We invested more than $525 million in our wireless and wireline Kansas City network from 2008-2010, helping AT&T customers to take advantage of the numerous capabilities of their wireless devices,” Sondag said. “This year, we’re committed to providing best-in-class wireless voice service to our customers, and we’re backing that up with the right investments.”
For 2011, Steve Hahn, president of AT&T Kansas, said, AT&T plans to continue its commitment to superior service in the Kansas City area by:
- Delivering more wireless capacity to more than 350 cell sites through the addition of new layers of frequency, also known as “carriers,” to more efficiently manage available spectrum and increase mobile broadband capacity at local cell sites.
- Deploying enhanced backhaul connections to hundreds more cell sites to enable 4G speeds.
- Upgrading about 45 more cell sites to mobile broadband, bringing coverage to nearly 99 percent of the Kansas City area** population.
- Installing seven new cell sites.
- Installing distributed antenna systems in high-traffic areas and facilities, such as sporting and event venues, to provide enhanced wireless coverage to customers in indoor or outdoor spaces where geographical limitations might otherwise prevent an optimal wireless experience.
The nation’s fastest mobile broadband network is getting faster with 4G, Hahn said. A key planned upgrade for 2011 is the deployment of enhanced backhaul connections between existing cell sites and AT&T’s network to enable 4G speeds.
AT&T’s advanced network provides several important advantages for customers. Unlike some competitors, AT&T’s mobile broadband network provides customers with the ability to talk and surf at the same time. For instance, you can look up directions to an event while staying on the phone with your boss, or browse your favorite social media sites while chatting with a friend. AT&T’s mobile broadband network also is up to 35 percent faster than our largest competitor’s CDMA-based network on average nationally.
AT&T also provides access to voice service in more than 220 countries and data service in more than 200 countries. AT&T’s largest competitor has CDMA-based devices that work in fewer than 45 countries. Business Traveler magazine recently named AT&T as having the “Best Mobile Coverage in the World” – the fourth time AT&T has received the distinction.
“Consumers who want the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network and the best selection of wireless devices will come to AT&T,” Nancy Garvey, AT&T’s vice president and general manager for the Greater Midwest Region said. “We’re working hard to provide our customers best-in-class service and our ongoing investment in the local wireless network is one way to accomplish this.”
Bob Marcusse, president and CEO, KCADC, said AT&T’s significant investment to improve its network will further bolster Kansas City’s reputation as a great place to live and work.
“High-tech expansions like this one help our business community, our local economy and our overall quality of life,” Marcusse said. “Few businesses today are more competitive than the wireless industry. That level of competition results in investment and new technology, which delivers benefits to the entire community.”
Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder added, "AT&T is making the type of private investment that brings capital and jobs to our region, and I am very pleased to be a part of today's announcement. My hope is that we can modernize our policies and regulations at the federal and state level to promote continued investment in the high-tech future of our region and our people."
Roger Doeren, chief operations officer of Rainy Day Books in Fairway, Kan., said the widespread coverage of AT&T’s mobile broadband network has benefited his business. “We rely on AT&T locally, nationally, and internationally,” said Doeren. “AT&T’s network allows us to talk and surf; we can check the availability of a book and even order it from our website at the same time we are making calls on our smartphones. This enhances the experience customers have with us.”
AT&T’s focus is delivering the nation’s most advanced mobile broadband experience, which includes delivering the benefits of mobile broadband networks, devices and applications. With the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T provides accelerated mobile data speeds and simultaneous voice and data capabilities for an amazing wireless voice and data experience. At the same time, AT&T is widening its lead in smartphones and devices, with 20 4G devices planned for 2011, including an industry-leading Android lineup. And we’re driving development of wide-ranging mobile applications with three AT&T Foundry collaborative innovation centers planned for this year, as well as leadership in multiple initiatives to provide new tools for apps developers.
AT&T’s 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 also operates the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network*** with more than 24,000 hotspots in the U.S. and access to more than 125,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers get access to our entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost, and Wi-Fi usage doesn’t count against customers’ monthly data plans.
For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Kansas City or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. Using the online tool, AT&T customers can measure coverage quality from a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.
For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.
