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AT&T expands 4G LTE coverage to 9 new markets, 44 more coming in 2012

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AT&T on Thursday announced it has expanded its high-speed 4G long-term evolution coverage into 9 new areas of the U.S., with 44 more markets coming before the end of 2012.

AT&T's massive expansion of its 4G LTE network comes as Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPhone at a media event next Wednesday. Currently, the third-generation iPad is Apple's only 4G LTE device, but it's anticipated that the company's next iPhone will also be compatible with the latest high-speed cellular networks.

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier, AT&T, has boasted that its 4G LTE network is capable of delivering mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. The company has invested more than $115 billion into operations and acquiring spectrum and other assets enhancing its wireless and wired networks over the last five years.

As of Thursday, AT&T's 4G LTE network is now available in:

  • Anchorage, Alaska
  • Bakersfield, Calif.
  • Bridgeport, Conn.
  • Jacksonville, Fla.
  • Modesto, Calif.
  • North Montgomery County, Md.
  • Northern New Jersey
  • Omaha, Neb.
  • Syracuse, N.Y.

The company also sent out a flurry of press releases on Thursday, revealing that its 4G LTE network will launch in the following markets before the end of the year:

  • Albany, N.Y.
  • Albuquerque, N.M.
  • Allentown, Penn.
  • Birmingham, Ala.
  • Boise, Idaho
  • Charleston, S.C.
  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Columbia, S.C.
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Detroit, Mich.
  • Denver-Boulder, Colo.
  • El Paso, Tex.
  • Fayetteville, N.C.
  • Ft. Myers, Fla.
  • Gary, Ind.
  • Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • Green Bay, Wis.
  • Harrisburg, Pa.
  • Hartford, Conn.
  • Hawaii
  • Knoxville, Tenn.
  • Lancaster, Pa.
  • Little Rock, Ark.
  • Louisville, Ken.
  • Milwaukee, Wis.
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
  • Memphis, Tenn.
  • Nashua, N.H.
  • New Haven, Conn.
  • Philadelphia, Penn.
  • Pittsburgh, Penn.
  • Portland, Ore.
  • Providence, R.I.
  • Reading, Pa.
  • Rochester, N.Y.
  • Sacramento, Calif.
  • Salinas-Seaside-Monterey, Calif.
  • Seattle, Wash.
  • Springfield, Mass.
  • Toledo, Ohio
  • Tucson, Ariz.
  • Tulsa, Okla.
  • Wilkes-Barre, Penn.
  • Wilmington, Del.

There is a distinction between AT&T's HSDPA network, which it began advertising as "4G" to iPhone 4S users starting with iOS 5.1, and the carrier's "true" 4G LTE network currently rolling out. The iPhone 4S is capable of 4G-like speeds thanks to AT&T's HSDPA network, however it is not a true fourth-generation network.

The change has allowed AT&T to further differentiate itself from competitors Verizon and Sprint, both of which carry the iPhone but run CDMA networks with slower 3G speeds.

Apple has addressed this distinction by displaying a connection symbol of "LTE" in the upper left corner of the iPad when connected to a 4G LTE network. iPhone 4S owners connected to AT&T's HSDPA network still receive a "4G" indicator on their device.



61 Comments

thataveragejoe 14 Years · 832 comments

They are still way way way behind Verizon. Not to mention their roll out makes no sense. Now available in Anchorage Alaska, yet a city like Philly (5th largest) is still coming soon. Good going guys.

michael mpls 13 Years · 3 comments

I can't believe Minneapolis/St. Paul is not no this list - Anchorage Alaska gets LTE before Minneapolis - makes no sense!!

ssquirrel 22 Years · 1192 comments

Given that our metro area is over a million people, I'm always surprised they wait as long as they do for Louisville KY.  I am pleasantly surprised it isn't super far down the list for their LTE rollout tho.  I know Sprint's WiMax never had us on their radar and Verizon didn't get here till last November w/their LTE.  Of course, I have an iPhone on Sprint so it all means jack to me heh

razorpit 18 Years · 1793 comments

[quote name="thataveragejoe" url="/t/152362/at-t-expands-4g-lte-coverage-to-9-new-markets-40-more-coming-in-2012#post_2183524"]They are still way way way behind Verizon. Not to mention their roll out makes no sense. Now available in Anchorage Alaska, yet a city like Philly (5th largest) is still coming soon. Good going guys. [/quote] I'm sure it has more to do with working the bugs out of the system on a small implementation than anything else. Think of it like this, the original LTE Cities were "1.0", Anchorage is "1.1" and the newer cities will be something like "1.2".

neilm 17 Years · 1001 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Mpls 

I can't believe Minneapolis/St. Paul is not no this list - Anchorage Alaska gets LTE before Minneapolis - makes no sense!!

 

There are likely good reasons for the way any provider plans its rollout: market size, existing subscriber base, backhaul infrastructure already in place, and likely lots more that we don't know. We have Vz LTE here in Fort Wayne, IN, the second largest city in the state at about 250K population. However AT&T rolled theirs out in Muncie and not here, despite that being a much smaller market.

 

I guess the good news is that the rollout pace is really gathering momentum.