AT&T Steps Up Network Upgrade

Fri, 21/05/2010 - 4:15pm — CellAdmin

AT&T is stepping up plans to double the speed of its wireless network by the end of this year, anticipating the launch of next-generation high-speed devices like smartphones, tablets and other mobile gadgets.

The Atlanta, Ga.-based carrier said it will boost download speeds dramatically -- using technology known as HSPA-plus -- to deliver data-rich services like streaming video to smartphones in markets covering more than 250 million people.

"We still have a tremendous amount of opportunity in wireless," said John Stankey, AT&T's operations chief. "We're at the front of that 10-year cycle in the mobile space today."

Stankey said markets where network strain was heaviest, like New York and San Francisco, would be improve on first, with noticeably faster speeds by the end of summer.

AT&T is stepping up its network upgrade before it releases Apple's next-generation iPhone, dubbed the HD, in June or July.

Front-runner Sprint said it will start selling the HTC Evo, the first fourth-generation, or 4G, smartphone in the U.S. Meanwhile, Verizon, which said it would deploy its new service by the end of this year, is working with Google to develop an iPad-rival. T-Mobile is currently rolling out an HSPA-plus upgrade of its own while exploring options for a 4G partnership with Harbinger Capital, a hedge fund that owns radio spectrum.

As more and more people own phones, carriers have looked to data services for growth, leasing out their networks to other companies that offer wireless gadgets such as tablets, netbooks and even dog collars.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)