HOUSTON, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* has invested nearly $1.25 billion in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Houston between 2011 through 2013, driving a wide range of upgrades to enhance speed, reliability, coverage and performance for residents and business customers.

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Advancing its Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan to expand and enhance its wireless and wired IP broadband networks, AT&T in 2013 made 647 network upgrades in the Houston area, including new cell sites, addition of wireless and wired network capacity, and new broadband network connections. Additionally, AT&T expanded the reach of its network, providing access to U-verse(®) Internet and video services to 67,000 new customer locations and delivering powerful fiber-optic connections to 17,740 business locations 483 multi-tenant business buildings and business parks.

"Fast, reliable connectivity is essential to economic growth and opening endless windows of opportunity across Texas in areas such as education, healthcare and public safety," said Dave Nichols, AT&T Texas State President. "Thanks to the smart, forward-looking policies passed and implemented by our state leaders in the Texas House and Senate, AT&T has been able to support job growth and confidently invest more than $6.55 billion in our network infrastructure all across Texas between 2011 and 2013."

Notable Houston network enhancements in 2013 included:


    --  4G LTE expansion in Houston, including parts of Alvin, Angleton,
        Baytown, Channelview, Conroe, Deer Park, Friendswood, Freeport, Humble,
        Kingwood, Lake Jackson, League City, Richwood, Rosenberg, West Columbia
        and The Woodlands.
    --  4G LTE expansion in Galveston.

"AT&T's investment in the Houston region represents a significant commitment to enhancing communications in our city," said Bob Harvey, President and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership. "Connectivity is critical to Houston's innovative business community - particularly the energy industry, which relies on a quick and flawlessly reliable communications infrastructure to facilitate today's increasingly data-heavy processes."

AT&T's network investment has resulted in a 4G LTE network that has been recognized for its speed, reliability and coverage.

AT&T was named Houston's fastest 4G LTE network in PC Magazine's 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks 30-market study. AT&T swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.**

AT&T provides the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network today, covering nearly 280 million Americans with 4G LTE service.***

AT&T U-verse is delivered over AT&T's advanced IP network and includes AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet, AT&T U-verse TV, and AT&T U-verse Voice.**** AT&T U-verse TV customers enjoy Total Home DVR®, apps for entertainment on the go, and integrated features. AT&T was named Frost & Sullivan Video Company of the Year for 2013.

AT&T operates the nation's largest Wi-Fi network***** including more than 32,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers, and provides access to more than 529,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers and U-verse customers get access to our entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost, and Wi-Fi usage doesn't count against customers' monthly wireless data plans.

For more information about AT&T's coverage in Houston or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

* AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
** PC Magazine, June 17, 2013; http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420333,00.asp
*** Speed & Reliability claims based on analysis of independent third party data re nationwide carriers' 4G LTE. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G LTE not available everywhere.
**** Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T U-verse services. Call or go to www.att.com/u-verse to see if you qualify.
***** Largest based on company branded and operated hotspots.
To define a market, we rely on the Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSA), as established by the United States Office of Management and Budget. Minor differences, if any, between annual totals reflect annual updating of market boundaries in our record systems.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse(®) brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/aboutus or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube athttp://www.youtube.com/att.

(©) 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.