The Cell Phone Junkie

AT&T Monday announced the expansion of its LTE services, bringing Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Athens, Georgia and Boston online starting today, November 6^th.  The expansion adds to the existing 5 markets currently covered, and AT&T says it still plans to reach 15 markets and 70 million Americans by the end of 2011.

AT&T also announced monthly pricing plans the new 4G network.  Similar to its 3G data plans, customers can choose $15 per month for 200MB of data, $25 per month for 2GB of data, or $45 per month for 2GB of smartphone data, and 2GB of mobile hotspot/tethered data.

Press Release:

Dallas, Texas, October 31, 2011

Starting next week, more AT&T customers will be able to enjoy fast 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) speeds on new devices – including the first AT&T 4G LTE smartphones – in even more markets.

Key Facts

• AT&T* introduced two new Android™ smartphones, the first to be AT&T 4G LTE-capable.
• HTC Vivid™ and Samsung Galaxy S™ II Skyrocket™ will arrive in AT&T company-owned stores and online Nov. 6.
• AT&T 4G LTE service will launch Nov. 6 in Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Athens, Ga.
• AT&T offers the only smartphones able to utilize both LTE and HSPA+ 4G speeds, for a consistently fast connection in and out of LTE areas.
• The Nov. 6 launches expand AT&T’s 4G LTE network to 9 markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, and it plans to reach 15 markets and 70 million Americans by year-end 2011.
• AT&T exceeds commitment to offer 20 4G devices in 2011, addition of LTE smartphones on Nov. 6 brings 4G total to 22.
• AT&T far exceeds commitment to deliver 12 Android devices in 2011; new LTE smartphones bring total to 21.

LTE Data Plans

Customers can choose from tiered data plans starting as low as $15 per month. Existing smartphone customers do not have to make changes to their data plan. All plans include access to AT&T’s national Wi-Fi network of more than 29,000 hotspots.

• DataPlus provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data for just $15 per month. An additional 200 MB of data usage is $15.
• DataPro provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data for $25 per month. An additional 1 GB of data is $10. Customers who want to use their device as a mobile hotspot can sign up for DataPro 4GB for $45 a month, which lets you tether or share your data connection across multiple devices.

Customers can view all smartphone data plans at www.att.com/dataplans.

LTE Deployments

AT&T continues to expand its 4G LTE footprint. The four markets launching Nov. 6 join Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, which were launched in September. AT&T is the only U.S. carrier providing 4G service using both HSPA+ and LTE. HSPA+, when combined with enhanced backhaul, provides customers with 4G speeds, meaning customers get a faster and more consistent 4G experience, even when outside of an AT&T LTE area. Customers of other carriers that have transitioned to 4G LTE without further speed upgrades to their existing networks are likely to see a jarring drop-off in speeds when they move out of LTE coverage.

Source: AT&T