AT&T invests more than $800M over 3-year period to enhance local networks in South Carolina
May 19, 2016
AT&T has invested more than $800 million in South Carolina wireless and wired networks during 2013-2015. These investments drive a wide range of upgrades to reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses. They also enhance critical services that support public safety and first responders.
In the major markets in the state, these investments were:
- Charleston – more than $100 million in our Charleston area wireless and wired networks between 2013-2015;
- Columbia – more than $200 million in our Columbia area wireless and wired networks between 2013-2015; and
- Greenville – More than $110 million in our Greenville area wireless and wired networks between 2013-2015.
In 2015, AT&T made 280 wireless network upgrades in South Carolina, including new cell sites, additional network capacity, and new wireless high-speed Internet connections.
“We’re committed to providing our customers fast, reliable, highly secure connectivity. We want them to be able to access the Internet at any moment, from almost any device and anywhere,” said Pamela Lackey, president of AT&T-South Carolina. “Our continued investment in South Carolina brings a host of new, innovative opportunities for residents and businesses.”
Notable South Carolina network enhancements in 2015 included:
- Expansion of 4G LTE capacity at Frank Howard Field at Clemson Memorial Stadium;
- Installation of a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in Charleston; and
- Expansion of wireless HD voice service in numerous areas, including Florence, Orangeburg, Charleston, Smallwood, Flint Hill, Winnsboro, Woodward, Blackstock, Douglas, Monticello, Dawkins, Jenkinsville, St. Phillips, Ridgeway, Rockton, White Oak, Toddville, Bucksville, Brownway, and Cannon Hills as well as along Highways 3, 21, 22, 29, 34, 176, 200, 219, 269, 321, 378, 544, and 701; I-20 and I-77; Camden Highway, Bishopville Highway, Red Hill Road, and Highway 378 / 501.
Last year, the company also announced it plans to expand the availability of ultra-fast speeds through AT&T GigaPowerSM to homes, apartments and small businesses in the Charleston, Columbia and Greenville regions. AT&T GigaPower offers our fastest Internet speeds, up to 1Gbps[ii] over a 100% fiber network to more than 1.6 million locations across 22 major metro areas.
Looking ahead, we have big plans for 2016. We’ll be giving you the ability to access and stream DIRECTV video services over a wired or wireless Internet connection from any provider and from virtually any device – smartphone, tablet, Smart TV, streaming media hardware or PC. We plan for each service to come with a set number of simultaneous sessions. These services will not require annual contracts, satellite dishes or set-top boxes.
In 2016, for the second year in a row, FORTUNE magazine recognized AT&T as the Most Admired Telecommunications Company in the world. We also placed #48 among the Top 50 World’s Most Admired companies. This is our third year in a row on the Top 50 list – AT&T is the only communications company on the list. We ranked #1 in all 9 attributes. This included innovation, financial soundness and quality of products/services. FORTUNE’s Most Admired Companies lists are among the most highly respected indicators of corporate performance and reputation.
