Comment (1)AT&T wants to take you higher with 4G, unveiling a new target of 420 markets covered with LTE by year's end on Wednesday morning.
The operator today named 50 new towns and cities it plans to have the faster 4G data technology deployed in by year's end. It also added five new markets to its current count, bringing the total live with LTE to 370. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) says that this means its LTE footprint now covers 225 million potential customers in the US. (See What We Mean When We Say '4G'.)
The new markets live today are:
- Ruston, La.
- New Bern, N.C.
- State College, Pa.
- Georgetown, S.C.
- Jayuya, Puerto Rico
Here's where all the operators now stand with LTE deployments:
Table 1: 4G LTE Markets in the US
| Operator | 4G technology | Number of markets | Average download speeds |
| AT&T | LTE (Also markets HSPA+ as “4G”) | 370 | Average of 18.6 Mbit/s downloads |
| Cricket (Leap Wireless) | LTE | 11 | 3-to-15 times faster than Leap's 3G |
| C-Spire | LTE | 40 markets up; 3 more coming soon | Data speeds up to 10 times faster |
| MetroPCS | LTE | 30 markets | 2 Mbit/s-15 Mbit/s (Depending on market) |
| Sprint | LTE & WiMax | 151 LTE; 71 WiMax | Average of 10.3 Mbit/s download |
| T-Mobile | LTE (Also markets HSPA+ as “4G”) | 116 markets | Average of 25 Mbit/s downloads (on unloaded network) |
| U.S. Cellular | LTE | 30+ markets | Up to 10 times faster than 3G |
| Verizon Wireless | LTE | 500 markets | 14.3 Mbit/s average download |
| Sources: Carrier data, Light Reading, Open Signal, RootMetrics | |||
Why this matters AT&T had previously said that it intended to cover 400 markets by the end of this year. Now, chasing Verizon Wireless , Ma Bell has upped that target to -- cough -- 420 markets. Like Verizon, AT&T will consider its rollout to be complete when it hits 300 million potential customers covered. A spokesman for the company says the latest update will bring it to 270 million Americans covered. (See Crowd-sourcing 4G LTE in the US.)
For more
- AT&T LTE to Be 'Substantially Complete' by Summer 2014
- AT&T Moves Again in the Summer of LTE
- Lucky 13: AT&T Adds More 4G LTE
- AT&T's 4G LTE Summer Splurge
- 4G LTE: AT&T Wins on Speed, Verizon on Size
— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading
