AT&T Expanding Wireless Coverage in Georgia; Investing More Than $50 Million This Year in the State’s Wireless Network
ATLANTA, July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AT&T Inc. announced an investment of more than $50 million in the Georgia wireless network in 2007. This brings AT&T’s three-year investment in Georgia to more than $575 million. Also, 50 new cell sites will be added in Georgia this year to expand coverage.
Last year alone, AT&T built more than 130 new cell sites in Georgia and deployed wireless broadband (3G) services in Atlanta. The Georgia network spans from the Georgia/Florida border to the markets of Hilton Head to Saint Helena Island and continues to Augusta and Aiken, S.C.
AT&T has delivered dramatic change in Georgia — a direct result of the company’s continuing efforts to expand and enhance its network operations and the synergies that come from being part of the world’s largest communications company. Through the introduction of a blazing-fast 3G network in Atlanta, customers now have access to DSL-type speeds for their laptops and access to the latest entertainment, news and weather programming through AT&T Video and AT&T Music via their handset.
“We are accelerating the changes that our customers see and experience in Georgia, and that’s as exciting for the company as it is for customers and employees,” said Cliff Minor, AT&T’s vice president/general manager for wireless operations in Georgia. “Our goal is to ensure that AT&T customers have the very best wireless experience possible — which includes unmatched coverage and quality of service. We have been working hard for many years to enhance service for our customers and to provide the best value calling plans and cutting-edge wireless devices.”
Summary of network enhancements planned for 2007 in Georgia include: Atlanta and North Georgia Atlanta — Enhanced coverage to the suburban area at the intersection of South Hairston and Redan roads. — Enhanced coverage along Barnwell Road and Country Club of the South in North Fulton County. — Enhanced coverage to Northern Fulton County near the Cherokee line in Alpharetta. — Enhanced coverage to the growing area of Collins Park in Lawrenceville. — Enhanced in-building coverage along Dekalb and Moreland avenues. — Enhanced coverage in the suburban area of Sugar Hill. North Georgia — Enhanced coverage along Highway 5 near the Fannin Regional Hospital in Fannin County. — Enhanced coverage north of Winder along Highway 211 to Braselton. — Expanded coverage in Stephens County, to Toccoa Bypass along U.S. Highway 365 Toccoa south. — Expanded coverage to Lake Arrow Head Community and along Highway 108 and Highway 140 in North Cherokee County. — Enhanced coverage to Thompson Mill Road, Reunion Golf Club and Chateau Road in the Braselton area. — Enhanced coverage along Highway 108 Highway 53 in the city of Tate in Pickens County. — Enhanced coverage to subdivisions along Highway 403/Interstate 85 north of Jefferson in Jackson County. — Expanded coverage to surrounding suburban areas of Athens near the intersection of East Whitehall Road and South Milledgeville Avenue in Clarke County. — New coverage north of the city of Cedartown, along state Highway 27 and Adams Road in Polk County. Coastal Georgia/South Carolina Hilton Head and Aiken — Enhanced call quality and coverage in the Palmetto Dunes Resort area. — Enhanced coverage to the historic section of Aiken, including Palmetto Golf Club and the polo fields. Coastal Georgia — Enhanced residential and commercial coverage in Richmond Hill along Interstate 95 and U.S. Highway 17. — New residential coverage to Berwick Plantation on the west side of Savannah. — Enhanced coverage to the Burroughs/Georgetown area on the southwestern side of Savannah. — Improved in-building coverage along Pooler Parkway near Interstate 16. — Enhanced coverage in commercial buildings in Rincon and new residential coverage to Lost Plantation. — Enhanced in-building coverage and capacity to the Vernonburg and Coffee Bluff residential areas. — New coverage to Butler Point and Cannon Point on the northern tip of St. Simon’s Island. — New coverage in Woodbine, Ga., along I-95 through Camden County. — Enhanced coverage for the Fairway Oaks neighborhood located in Brunswick. Statesboro — Increased capacity for the northern side of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. Middle and South Georgia Augusta — Enhanced coverage along Highway 232/Columbia Road between Lewiston and Appling. — Enhanced coverage to the Mullins Crossing Shopping Center and surrounding residential and commercial areas. Columbus — Enhanced coverage to surrounding hospitals, residential and commercial areas in central suburban areas of the city of Columbus. — Expanded coverage to developing suburban area on northern side of Columbus around the intersection of Schaumburg and Hancock roads. — Enhanced coverage in downtown Phenix City, Ala., on the western side of Columbus. — Expanded coverage to suburban areas of Benning Hills and to Fort Benning. — Enhanced coverage along U.S. Highway 27 in Cataula in Harris County. — Expanded coverage northeast of Columbus along Warm Springs Road. — Enhanced service along Highway 27 and Marne Road. — New coverage along U.S. Highway 27A from Ellerslie to Waverly Hall — northeast of Columbus. — Expanded coverage along connecting roads to the Stadium and Fort Benning — North Lumpkin and Andrews roads. South Georgia — Enhanced coverage on the eastern side of Americus. — Expanded coverage on U.S. Highway 319 south from I-16 to Rentz. — Expanded connecting coverage from Fort Valley to Perry along Highway 341 from Peach County to Houston County. — New coverage on the northern side of Cordele and the Pine Hill Country — Club and along U.S. Highway 41. — Enhanced coverage between Interstate 75 and Interstate 475 and in multiple industrial parks in the area. — Expanded coverage to the western side of town and the Doubletree Country Club in Albany. — Enhanced coverage in areas in LaGrange, West Point and around the KIA manufacturing plant in Troup County.
“The versatility of our network is unsurpassed,” Minor said. “Since our network is based on the GSM standard, AT&T customers can browse the Web and perform other data functions in more than 130 countries and can make phone calls in more than 190 countries and territories.”
AT&T diligently monitors the quality and coverage of its network. In addition to third-party vendors that assess the company’s network performance, AT&T wireless network engineers constantly monitor the network and drive tens of thousands of miles of highway across Georgia and coastal South Carolina each year to ensure the network is operating at peak efficiency.
Complementing its wireless investment in the state, AT&T announced earlier this year plans to invest approximately $500 million over the next several years in fiber network upgrades, further broadband deployment and Internet-based technologies to bring new services to Georgia consumers, including cutting-edge television.
“We’re off to a great start already, and the future promises to be very exciting for Georgia,” said Minor.
Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. 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. Among their offerings are the world’s most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation’s leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about
AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.
(C) 2007 AT&T Knowledge Ventures. All rights reserved. AT&T is a registered trademark of AT&T Knowledge Ventures. Subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T brand. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.
AT&T Inc.
CONTACT: Dawn Benton of AT&T Inc., +1-404-236-5305, mobile,+1-404-202-6335, dawn.benton@att.com
Web site: http://www.att.com/