Customers in the Tampa Bay area and attending the upcoming Republican National Convention are expected to experience improved mobile Internet capacity and voice performance as a result of continued investment and innovation by AT&T. The company recently announced that it has completed key initiatives in its ongoing efforts to enhance the wireless capacity and performance of its mobile Internet network throughout the Tampa Bay area. In fact, from 2009 through 2011, AT&T invested more than $140 million in its wireless and wireline networks in the Tampa Bay area. Those investments are paying off in strong service performance, including keeping more than 99 percent of all Tampa Bay-area wireless calls connected.
The latest network enhancements involved adding new layers of frequency, also known as “carriers,” to more than 110 cell sites in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties to more efficiently manage available spectrum and increase mobile Internet capacity. The expansion helps manage ever-growing demand for mobile Internet services by allocating more network resources for AT&T’s mobile Internet network.
In addition to the convention facilities, the areas benefitting from the capacity upgrades include Tampa, Lutz, Plant City, Seffner, Dover, Valrico, St. Petersburg, Largo, Seminole, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Bluffs, Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Safety Harbor, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar, Tarpon Springs and Pinellas Park.
“In Tampa Bay we have worked hard to keep more than 99 percent of calls on the AT&T network connected—and we’re not stopping there,” said Rich Guidotti, vice president and general manager, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets for West, Central and North Florida. “We are always striving to provide the most reliable network possible, and with the launch of 4G LTE in Tampa – St. Petersburg in February 2012, we are improving both speed and accessibility.”
AT&T’s Tampa network microsite at http://att.com/TampaNetwork provides visitors a peek into our wireless network enhancements made in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area since January 1, 2011. Enhancements include new cell sites, Internet speed upgrades, capacity upgrades and network connection upgrades. The site also provides a map of area AT&T stores.
AT&T’s mobile Internet network is based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies that includes GSM and UMTS, the most widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T has the best international coverage of any U.S. wireless provider, providing access to voice service in more than 225 countries and data service in more than 200 countries.
AT&T also operates the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network** with nearly 30,000 hotspots in the U.S. and provides access to nearly 225,000 hotspots 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.
For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Tampa 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.
