CLEVELAND, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* invested more than $375 million in its Cleveland area wireless and wireline networks from 2010 through 2012, with a focus on expanding 4G LTE mobile Internet coverage and enhancing the overall performance of its networks.**

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"In an information-driven economy, the ability for all the people of our community to have access to the latest communications technology is critical," said Senator Tom Patton.  "Investments like this assure that businesses of all sizes can compete effectively in a global economy."

People in Cleveland increasingly depend on mobile Internet connections for communication, entertainment and productivity at work, at home and everywhere in between. AT&T's continued investment is designed to deliver the highest levels of service, with network enhancements driving improvements in key areas of the mobile Internet experience: 4G speed, broad coverage and network reliability.

"The launch of new, even faster mobile Internet service throughout the greater Cleveland has helped my constituents and local businesses, who are working hard to rebuild Ohio's economy," said State Representative Sandra Williams. "Advancement in technology is a critical economic driver for businesses and consumers to remain competitive and to foster further economic growth."

AT&T's significant investment over the past three years is delivering customers a stronger network performance:

• The AT&T wireless network recently ranked No. 1 in Cleveland by RootMetrics^®, an independent research and testing organization. AT&T was named the RootMetrics RootScore^® Combined Award winner for its combination of call quality, text performance, and mobile Internet speed. The RootMetrics award is the result of more than 21,200 wireless test calls, texts and mobile Internet transmissions conducted during September 2012.
• The AT&T network kept 99 percent of all Cleveland-area wireless calls connected in the fourth quarter of 2012 (October through December).

"We know the mobile Internet has become central to our customers' lives, and we're committed to driving both investment and innovation to deliver the best possible experience over the AT&T network," said Larry Evans, vice president and general manager, AT&T Ohio. "While third-party and internal testing shows that these investments are paying off with excellent service for Cleveland customers, we are continually planning and deploying network enhancements to improve service in the future."

2012 Network Enhancements Deliver Faster Speeds, Broader Coverage to Customers

AT&T customers are benefitting from nearly 400 wireless network upgrades in six key categories in Cleveland during 2012, including activating new cell sites, adding capacity, upgrading cell sites to provide fast 4G LTE mobile Internet speeds, deploying high-capacity Ethernet connections to cell sites, and adding or upgrading Distributed Antenna Systems, which boost wireless coverage and capacity in buildings and at major venues like convention halls or sports arenas.

AT&T launched 4G LTE in the Cleveland area in May 2012. AT&T 4G LTE is the latest generation of wireless network technology and provides faster mobile Internet speeds — up to 10 times faster than 3G** — and improved performance on a variety of mobile smartphones and tablets. 

The AT&T 4G LTE network has been nationally recognized for its speed and coverage. AT&T 4G LTE delivered faster average download speeds than any of the competitors in PCWorld's most recent 13-market speed tests, and telecommunications industry analyst firm Frost and Sullivan awarded AT&T its North American Mobile Network Strategy Award for the second year in a row in 2012.

"Thanks to the leadership of our elected leaders like Senator Patton and Representative Williams, we are seeing companies invest in technology which is essential to grow Ohio's economy," said Joe Roman, President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

"Across Cleveland, this robust investment in the AT&T wireless and wireline networks is important to spurring the economy and creating jobs. In our wireless world, mobile and broadband networks create economic opportunities for health care, manufacturing, education, transportation and public safety and virtually every other economic sector," said Sarah Briggs, Public Affairs Director, AT&T Ohio.

Planned Investment to Expand Reach of Wireless and Wired Broadband

AT&T recently launched Project Velocity IP (VIP), a three-year investment initiative to expand and enhance its wireless and wired IP broadband networks. As part of Project VIP, AT&T plans to increase the density of its wireless network by deploying more than 10,000 macro sites, more than 1,000 distributed antenna systems, and more than 40,000 small cells. Through this initiative, we also plan to:

• Expand 4G LTE to cover more than 300 million people by year-end 2014
• Expand the AT&T wired IP broadband network to cover approximately 75 percent of customer locations in our wired service area by year-end 2015
• Expand the AT&T fiber network to reach 1 million additional business locations by year-end 2015

For more information about AT&T's coverage in Cleveland or anywhere in the U.S., consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. Using the online tool, AT&T customers can measure quality of coverage from a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark. 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.

**Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. 4G speeds not available everywhere. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Compatible device and data plan required. Up to 10x claim compares 4G LTE download speeds to industry average 3G download speeds. Learn more at att.com/network. 

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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.  This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this press release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.