AT&T increased its LTE footprint by 50,000 square miles in 2018 to support FirstNet and the carrier’s own network. The added coverage is the result of the company’s network build initiatives to expand and enhance connectivity in both urban and rural areas — on indoor and outdoor sites, the carrier said Wednesday.
Some examples of rural areas that are currently benefiting from the network build include: Black Hills of South Dakota, where nearly half a million people gather for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the farming communities of Tulare County, CA, and tribal lands within the Chickasaw Nation in south-central Oklahoma.
The ongoing work to launch new sites and build out AT&T’s LTE network is delivering increased network speeds and capacity. By the end of this year, AT&T expects network capacity to increase by 50 percent since the end of 2017 while simultaneously laying the foundation for 5G.
Also, AT&T and FirstNet have deployed Band 14 spectrum in 500+ markets, spanning over 5,250 public agencies on FirstNet to date. Band 14 signals cover large geographic areas with less infrastructure to better support rural communities. It can better penetrate buildings and walls in more urban areas, compared to higher-MHz spectrum, according to the carrier. Comments? Email us.
January 10, 2019
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