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AT&T Invests Nearly $525 Million Over Four-Year Period To Enhance Local Networks In MinnesotaST. PAUL, Minn., April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* has invested nearly $525 million in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Minnesota from 2011 through 2014, driving a wide range of upgrades to reliability, coverage, speed and performance for residents and business customers. As part of its Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan focused on network enhancement and expansion, AT&T in 2014 made 346 network upgrades in Minnesota, including new cell sites and the addition of wireless and wired network capacity. "With a growing range of connected home appliances, cars and wearable devices, we depend more on network connectivity than ever before," said Paul Weirtz, Minnesota president, AT&T. "AT&T's continued investment in Minnesota brings a host of new, innovative opportunities for residents and businesses to connect with each other and their customers." Notable Minnesota network enhancements in 2014 included:
"Continued economic growth in Minnesota depends on persistent innovation which, increasingly, requires reliable and state of the art Internet connectivity," said Bill Blazar, interim president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. "These investments by AT&T will help Minnesota businesses have the resources and tools they need to change, grow and compete in today's global economy." AT&T provides the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network today, covering more than 300 million Americans with 4G LTE service.** AT&T's network also has the nation's strongest LTE signal.*** During 2014, several markets in Minnesota were added to AT&T's extensive LTE network, including Mankato, Albert Lea, Red Wing and Hills. AT&T* was recently recognized by FORTUNE magazine as the Most Admired Telecommunications Company in the world in 2015. Additionally, FORTUNE ranked AT&T #47 among all companies in all industries in its list of the Top 50 Most Admired companies in the world. FORTUNE's Most Admired Companies lists are among the most highly respected indicators of corporate performance and reputation. AT&T operates an extensive Wi-Fi network including more than 34,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotes, bookstores and retailers, and provides access to more than 1 million Hot Spots 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.**** If the AT&T-DirecTV merger is approved by regulators, the combined companies will have an opportunity to redefine the video entertainment industry by delivering content to consumers across multiple screens – mobile devices, TVs, laptops, the backseat displays of connected cars, and even airplanes. AT&T has also committed to expand and enhance its deployment of both wireline and fixed wireless high-speed Internet to cover at least 15 million customer locations across 48 states – most of them in underserved rural areas. For more information about AT&T's coverage in Minnesota 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. Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements About AT&T Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att. © 2015 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. *Global coverage claim based on offering voice and LTE data roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier, and offering the most wireless smartphones and tablets that work in the most countries. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/DA23287LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-invests-nearly-525-million-over-four-year-period-to-enhance-local-networks-in-minnesota-300058913.html SOURCE AT&T Inc. |