AT&T Investment Delivers Improved Wireless Network Experience in Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T* today released Lakeland network investment and expansion details that have contributed to customers benefiting from the nation's fastest 3G network and an unsurpassed low local dropped call rate - one of the most common measures of wireless performance - according to drive test data collected by third-party independent wireless engineering firm Global Wireless Solutions (GWS).

"AT&T is committed to providing our customers with the very best possible network experience to complement our unmatched line-up of popular wireless devices," said AT&T North, Central and West Florida, Vice President and General Manager, Jennifer Van Buskirk. "Since 2007 through the third quarter of 2009 we have invested more than $27.5 million in the Lakeland network to advance our goal of providing customers with a wireless experience that is second to none."

AT&T supports twice the number of smartphone customers than any other U.S. provider. AT&T invested billions of dollars in its wireless network companywide in 2009. Lakeland area network enhancements include initiatives to improve speed, capacity and coverage.

AT&T 2009 network enhancements in Lakeland included:

• Completion of a Lakeland 3G expansion with the addition of 12 3G cell sites improving coverage in Mulberry, Bartow, Dundee, Lake Alfred, Kathleen, Haines City, Poinciana, north of the Bartow Airport and near the intersection of Polk Parkway and Winter Lake Road southeast of Lakeland.
• Addition of two 3G cell sites - one site improving coverage at Bryant Stadium on North Florida Avenue, as well as along North Florida Ave between County Road 582 and Downtown Lakeland; and a second site improving indoor and outdoor wireless coverage in the areas south of downtown, as well as the Florida Southern College campus.
• Addition of a 2G monopole on the Lakeland Mall improving coverage at the Lakeland Mall (south Lakeland), as well as along Polk Parkway and the Grasslands; 3G will be added to this site in the near future.
• Deployment of 850 MHz spectrum that has substantially increased network capacity and in-building signal throughout Lakeland.
• Completed various network capacity upgrades to the cell sites and switches to support higher volumes of voice and data traffic, including:
  • The addition of a "second carrier," or second layer of capacity to two 3G cell sites in Lakeland.
  • The addition of more than 150 T1 lines to add more voice and data capacity between the cell site and routing switch.
  • The addition of a new switching center and two new Radio Network Controller - a network management equipment that significantly increased network capacity.

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 the best possible mobile broadband experience, both today and well into the future. Faster 3G speeds will become available as AT&T combines the new technology with our second initiative during 2010 and 2011 to dramatically increase the number of high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic connections, adding capacity from cell sites to the AT&T backbone network.

As part of AT&T's ongoing commitment to deliver the best possible wireless experience, AT&T recently announced the launch of AT&T Mark the Spot, an iPhone app that enables customers to quickly and easily provide feedback on AT&T network performance in a specific location. The new AT&T Mark the Spot app adds to AT&T's existing network performance data to further fine-tune network investment planning and prioritization moving forward. The app, available today as a free download via the iTunes App Store, enables users to provide valuable feedback with as little as two button clicks.

The GWS data confirms AT&T has a national call retainability rate of 98.68 percent and the nation's fastest 3G network.

*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. AT&T 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(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) 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's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.