Want ultra-fast internet? AT&T invested $1.2 billion to improve internet speed and connectivity in Alabama, including 32 rural counties.

Without the internet many of us couldn’t do our jobs, connect with friends, research astronomy or find out what’s happening this weekend. But some parts of Alabama have lived with spotty internet access which puts them at a technological disadvantage. AT&T has aimed to change that.

AT&T announced that it is has invested $1.2 billion in Alabama over the past three years to help boost local coverage, reliability and access for customers in local communities.

The company specifically has made hundreds of wireless network upgrades in Alabama, including the construction and activation of 11 new cell sites. More notably, the company has added Alabama network enhancements that include more than 630 LTE capacity adding over 500 new cell sites across Alabama.  

“I am continually working to attract and support companies which are committed to investing in Alabama and improving the quality of life for our people through innovation and expansion,” Governor Kay Ivey said. “By continuing to build state-of-the-art infrastructure in our state, AT&T is making business growth possible and assuring that our residents, both rural and urban, have the tools to stay connected. Announcements like AT&T’s confirm Alabama is indeed open for business.”

Rural County Access

In an effort to help small businesses and residents in underserved and rural areas, AT&T introduced its Fixed Wireless Internet services to 37,000 residents and 32 counties in the state, including several counties found in the Black Belt. Fixed wireless broadband access provides customers access to the internet through one fixed location by using an antenna instead of phone or cable lines. This type of service can be transformative to communities, especially in rural areas because it is a more efficient way efficient way to deliver high-quality, high-speed Internet to customers living in those areas.

AT&T states that the towers used to provide this type of service are connected to their network using fiber optics. Nearly 1.7 million strand miles of AT&T fiber optics are covering Alabama which enables the company to offer a wide variety of products and services delivering the high-speed connectivity Alabama businesses and residents need the company added.

Improving Critical Services for First Responders

In addition to improvements to the LTE service across Alabama, AT&T also has worked to services that are critical to public safety and first responders. A little over a year ago, the public-private partnership FirstNet was formed and since its formation, 50 governors in 50 states, five territories and D.C., have recognized the importance of the organization’s mission to strengthen and modernize public safety communications capabilities.

This new communications platform is dedicated to America’s public safety community, and as AT&T builds, deploys and evolves FirstNet, the company has made the commitment to build upon current and planned investments in Alabama to help ensure the public safety network delivers the coverage and cutting-edge capabilities first responders expect – today and for decades to come.

Ultra-fast internet power

AT&T also has expanded the scope of its ultra-fast internet powered by AT&T Fiber to more than 225,000 customers throughout Alabama. The company states that it has the largest U.S.-based provider of fiber for business services that gives them the unparalleled ability to serve businesses of all sizes.

In addition, AT&T has introduced its 1 gigabit connection on their 100 percent fiber network to 9 million locations in 71 major metro areas nationwide. The company plans to expand this service to 14 million locations by mid-2019.