AT&T Invests $27 Million in Wireless Network

By GEORGE HOHMANN

AT&T is investing $27 million to upgrade and expand its wireless network in West Virginia, a company executive said.

Later this month AT&T will unveil third-generation technology on its network along the Interstate 64 corridor from Charleston to Olive Hill, Ky., said Erika Thompson, vice president and general manager of AT&T Mobility in Virginia and West Virginia.

By year-end, the company plans to offer wireless service along the entire length of the West Virginia Turnpike, she said.

Third-generation technology offers a variety of advanced features, including simultaneous voice and data. This means that users with phones that are equipped with the technology and who subscribe to video share and online coverage can talk and show videos at the same time or send and receive text while talking.

Ellen Webner, AT&T Mobility’s market manager of public relations, said simultaneous voice and data provides a lot of opportunities for businesses. "For example, a real estate agent could use it to discuss and show homebuyers or sellers features in a home – and the buyer or seller wouldn’t have to make a trip to the property," she said.

Webner said another example of how the service could be used is a couple vacationing in Florida while their home is being remodeled could consult with the contractor in real-time. They could see exactly what the contractor is talking about.

AT&T has invested $45 million in the state since 2005, adding 29 new cell sites and beefing up network capacity and coverage, Thompson said.

Third-generation technology will be extended across the network over the next two years, Thompson said. Even though some of the network will be operating with third-generation technology while other areas will still be using second-generation technology, users can move from one to the other without dropping a call or losing data, Thompson said.

AT&T merged with BellSouth and Cingular several years ago. AT&T expanded its coverage in West Virginia last year when it bought Dobson Communications Corp., which operated under the Cellular One brand in the Beckley-Bluefield area. It bought Easterbrooke Cellular Corp. in January. Easterbrooke also provided wireless communications under the Cellular One brand. Easterbrooke had more than 19,000 subscribers and served the Elkins market.

AT&T now offers wireless coverage in 43 of the state’s 55 counties.

Wireless service is not highly regulated and companies are not required to reveal how many customers they have. Webner would not say how many customers AT&T has in West Virginia. The company boasts that it has more than 71.4 million subscribers nationwide.

AT&T’s upgrade and expansion comes as the wireless market in West Virginia heats up. Verizon, which bought West Virginia Wireless last year, is preparing to launch its wireless service here this fall.

Cellular phones outnumber wireline phones in the state.

Contact writer George Hohmann at business@dailymail.com or 348- 4836.

Originally published by DAILY MAIL BUSINESS EDITOR.

(c) 2008 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.