CHICAGO, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* has invested nearly $2 billion in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Chicago between 2011 through 2013, driving a wide range of upgrades to enhance speed, reliability, coverage and performance for residents and business customers.

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Advancing its Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan to expand and enhance its wireless and wired IP broadband networks, AT&T in 2013 made 236 network upgrades in the Chicago area, including new cell sites, addition of wireless and wired network capacity, and new broadband network connections. Additionally, AT&T expanded the reach of its network, providing access to U-verse(®) Internet and video services to 108,000 new customer locations and delivering powerful fiber-optic connections to 20,703 business locations at 590 multi-tenant business buildings and business parks.

"Chicago-area residents depend on our fast and reliable Internet connections more and more every day, whether it's access to files and apps at work, watching a video at home, or even receiving updates from connected cars or home monitors," said Paul La Schiazza, AT&T Illinois President. "AT&T is making robust investments in Chicago so that residents can take full advantage of the latest services and tools, and that businesses have the speed they need to compete and grow. As our country transitions to an all-broadband communications infrastructure, private sector investment in next generation networks is essential to education, health care, public safety, job creation and virtually all sectors of the modern internet economy."

Notable Chicago area network enhancements in 2013 included:


    --  Designed a new 4G LTE Distributed Antenna System at Soldier Field to
        keep pace with growing demand for fast and reliable mobile service.
    --  Improved mobile Internet coverage for Metra commuters in the Chicago
        area with the installation of a new 4G LTE-capable outdoor Distributed
        Antenna System.

AT&T's network investment has resulted in a 4G LTE network that has been recognized for its speed, reliability and coverage. Our 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average download and upload speeds than any of our competitors in PCWorld/TechHive's most recent speed tests in Chicago. PCWorld/TechHive also ranked AT&T's as the fastest combination of 3G and 4G services in the 20 cities it tested.**

AT&T was named Chicago's fastest 4G LTE network in PC Magazine's 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks 30-market study. AT&T swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.***

AT&T provides the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network today, covering nearly 280 million Americans with 4G LTE service.****

AT&T U-verse is delivered over AT&T's advanced IP network and includes AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet, AT&T U-verse TV, and AT&T U-verse Voice.***** AT&T U-verse TV customers enjoy Total Home DVR®, apps for entertainment on the go, and integrated features. AT&T was named Frost & Sullivan Video Company of the Year for 2013.

AT&T operates the nation's largest Wi-Fi network****** including more than 32,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers, and provides access to more than 529,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers and U-verse 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 Chicago 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.
** PCWorld/TechHive, May 23, 2013, "AT&T clocks best overall speeds with 3G/4G combo"
*** PC Magazine, June 17, 2013; http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420333,00.asp
**** Reliability claim based on data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G LTE not available everywhere
***** Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T U-verse services. Call or go to www.att.com/u-verse to see if you qualify.
****** Largest based on company branded and operated hotspots.
To define a market, we rely on the Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSA), as established by the United States Office of Management and Budget. Minor differences, if any, between annual totals reflect annual updating of market boundaries in our record systems.

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 most reliable 4G LTE 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 service with the AT&T U-verse(®) brand. 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://about.att.com or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

© 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 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. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Reliability claim based on data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. 4G LTE availability varies.

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SOURCE AT&T