To meet increased demand for broadband services

Nov 18, 2009 10:46 GMT  ·  By

Wireless carrier AT&T announced on Tuesday a series of improvements brought to its 3G network in Gainesville, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and throughout Central Florida. According to the company, the new enhancements, which come right in time for the holiday season, consist of network capacity increases, which should offer its users the possibility to enjoy better Internet browsing and social networking accessibility.

The mobile phone operator also announced that the new improvements included the addition of a second layer of capacity, which should support a much larger amount of data traffic, while also delivering increased download speeds. The new project is part of the carrier's attempt to improve its 3G network coverage in north and central Florida, and a number of 445 new sites have been deployed as part of it.

“Our goal is pretty simple: we want you to have an extraordinary experience when you make a call, check e-mail, download a song or video, or surf the Internet on your AT&T device,” said Jennifer VanBuskirk, vice president and general manager, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets in North, Central and West Florida. “The additional capacity helps to enhance the 3G network and is another way AT&T is driving to deliver a first-class wireless voice and data experience for our customers.”

The company also added that the new enhancements were part of its effort to improve its 3G network across the country, mainly due to the fact that the usage of mobile broadband had been on the rise lately. AT&T intends to make investments of around $17 billion to $18 billion during 2009 for improvements to its network, with more investments planned for the future.

“Our mission is to connect people with their world, everywhere they live and work, and to do it better than anyone else,” said Marshall Criser, lll, AT&T president, Florida. “We view our ongoing investment in Florida as an investment in our customers.” The carrier invested more than $3 billion in its network in Florida from 2006 to 2008.