MADISON, Wis., May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- At
AT&T1, we've invested more than $700 million in our Wisconsin wireless and wired networks during
2016-2018, including nearly $275
million in the greater Milwaukee area. These investments boost
reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents
and businesses. We've also 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.
"We're investing in our Wisconsin networks to keep residents,
businesses, visitors and first responders connected," said
Scott T. VanderSanden, president of
AT&T Wisconsin. "We want our customers to have a great
experience and enjoy fast mobile speeds wherever they live, work
and play. We're always working to provide better coverage, and
we're investing in our wireless network across Wisconsin to accomplish that."
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 analyzed by
Speedtest ® by Ookla.2 The AT&T LTE
network covers more than 400 million people in North America.
In 2018, AT&T made 590 network upgrades in Wisconsin, including adding 41 new cell sites,
expanding LTE to 14 sites, and adding capacity to 509 sites.
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, rural or
tribal. It is 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
Wisconsin, 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 Appleton, Eau
Claire, Green Bay,
Janesville, Beloit, Kenosha, La
Crosse, Madison,
Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, and Wausau, as well as Columbia and Vernon counties. 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.
- Wisconsin first
responders enjoy the fastest overall experience on FirstNet,
compared to any commercial network, 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
14,700 locations across Wisconsin
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 Madison and Milwaukee areas, we market our internet
service powered by AT&T Fiber to nearly 180,000 customer
locations.
We plan to reach at least 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 Wisconsin, 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.
3Based on AT&T
analysis of Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® 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.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-invests-more-than-700-million-over-3-year-period-to-boost-local-networks-in-wisconsin-300857486.html
SOURCE AT&T