John Donovan, CTO of Operations at Dallas-based AT&T Inc. (T), wrote in a blog post about the first steps the telecom giant will implement as it prepares a major deployment of its LTE network in attempts to catch up with other carriers.
Not only will the deployments take place in Texas locales such as Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, as Chicago and Atlanta will also be awarded with an LTE upgrade.
Donovan wrote that the initial five markets will launch this summer with additional plans to bring LTE to 10 or more markets in the second half of 2011. AT&T claims the upgrades will cover approximately 70 million Americans with LTE technology by the end of the year.
“We also have plans to add 20 4G devices to our robust device portfolio this year, with some of those being LTE capable,” wrote Donovan.
There is no official statement on what product offering the first LTE devices will surface as, but new networks generally launch with USB data sticks initially, then add Wi-Fi hotspots and phones.
Donovan cited that AT&T will continue investment in its HSPA+4G service but didn’t explain how the company will separate its marketing efforts between HSPA+4G and LTE 4G services. If AT&T continues to market HSPA+4G as 4G, it’s possible that a re-branding of LTE could come in the form of “expanded 4G” or “ultimate 4G.”
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