AT&T Invests Nearly $2.95 Billion Over Three-Year Period To Enhance Local Networks In Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* has invested nearly $2.95 billion in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Illinois from  2011 through 2013, driving a wide range of upgrades to enhance speed, reliability, coverage and performance for residents and business customers.

Advancing its Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan to expand and enhance its wireless and wired IP broadband networks, AT&T in 2013 made 889 network upgrades in Illinois, including: new cell sites, addition of wireless and wired network capacity, and new broadband network connections. Additionally, AT&T expanded the reach of its network, providing access to U-verse^® Internet and video services to nearly 122,000 new customer locations and delivering powerful fiber-optic connections to 21,474 business locations at 636 multi-tenant business buildings and business parks.

"Illinois residents depend on our fast and reliable Internet connections more and more every day, whether it's instant access to files and apps at work, watching a video at home, or even receiving updates from connected cars or home monitors," said Paul La Schiazza, AT&T Illinois President. "AT&T is making robust investments in Illinois so that residents can take full advantage of the latest services and tools, and that businesses have the speed they need to compete and grow.  As our country transitions to an all-broadband communications infrastructure, private sector investment in next generation networks is essential to education, health care, public safety, job creation and virtually all sectors of the modern internet economy."

Notable Illinois network enhancements in 2013 included:

• 4G LTE expansions in Kankakee-Bradley, Decatur, Bloomington-Normal and Pontiac, Carbondale-Marion and Quad Cities, among others.
• Improved mobile Internet coverage for Metra commuters in the Chicago area with the installation of a new 4G LTE-capable outdoor Distributed Antenna System.

AT&T U-verse is delivered over AT&T's advanced IP network and includes AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet, AT&T U-verse TV, and AT&T U-verse Voice.***  AT&T U-verse TV customers enjoy Total Home DVR^®, apps for entertainment on the go, and integrated features. AT&T was named Frost & Sullivan Video Company of the Year for 2013. 

AT&T operates the nation's largest Wi-Fi network**** including more than 32,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers, and provides access to more than 529,000 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 wireless data plans.

For more information about AT&T's coverage in Illinois, or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer.  For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

* 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.
** Reliability claim based on data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks.  LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G LTE not available everywhere.
*** Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T U-verse services. Call or go to www.att.com/u-verse to see if you qualify.
**** Largest based on company branded and operated hotspots.
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.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse^® brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://about.att.com or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

© 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE AT&T