Comment (5)AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has just launched 13 4G LTE new markets in the US, bringing its total count to 437 towns and cities with the faster mobile data technology.
The markets announced Wednesday are:
- Tuskegee, Ala.
- Bloomington-Normal, Ill.
- Decatur, Ill.
- Pontiac, Ill.
- Lewiston-Auburn, Me.
- Hickory, N.C.
- Jacksonville, N.C.
- Sanford, N.C.
- McAlester, Okla.
- Adjuntas, P.R.
- Gillette, Wyo.
- Jackson, Wyo.
- Sheridan, Wyo.
Here's where US operators stand with their 4G deployments now:
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) | 437 | 18.6 Mbit/s |
| Cricket (Leap Wireless) | LTE | 11 | 3-15 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 | 2-15 Mbit/s (depending on market) |
| Sprint | LTE & WiMax | 185 LTE, 71 WiMax | 10.3 Mbit/s |
| T-Mobile | LTE (Also markets HSPA+ as “4G”) | 154 markets | 25 Mbit/s (on unloaded network) |
| U.S. Cellular | LTE | 92 markets | Up to 10 times faster than 3G |
| Sources: Carrier data, Light Reading, OpenSignal, RootMetrics | |||
Why this matters
AT&T is adding LTE markets faster than a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. It has switched on 40 live markets since early September, busting through its original target of -- cough -- 420 markets by year's end.
The towns and cities being added are apparently small as the operator continues to say that it covers 240 million potential customers despite adding these fresh hamlets to its footprint over the month. A spokesman says that AT&T expects "to cover nearly 270 million people with 4G LTE by the end of this year."
Related posts:
- T-Mobile up to 154 Markets, 280M PoPs With LTE
- AT&T Hits 400 4G LTE Markets
- Fall Into 4G: LTE State-of-Play in the USA
- Sprint Now Over 150 4G Markets
— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading
