Charleston, SC Economic Development

AT&T expands Charleston service

Apr. 11, 2008
Charleston Regional Business Journal
AT&T Inc. is investing more than $30 million in South Carolina this year to expand its wireless coverage around the state, including in Charleston, and upgrade service to the higher-speed network now available in Columbia.

AT&T plans to roll out its higher-speed, third-generation wireless network in Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg and Clemson by the end of June. New cell sites will be added to the more than 330 cell sites that have already been deployed throughout the past four years. The primary focus for these additional sites is to expand coverage in Charleston and improve in-building service in Columbia and Greenville.

The planned investment will bring AT&T’s three-year network investment in the state for wireless and wired services to $750 million.

“Our goal is to continue providing high-quality coverage by significantly improving our network with additional cell sites in markets such as Charleston and 3G upgrades in our metro areas,” said Alison Hall, vice president and general manager for AT&T’s wireless operations in the Carolinas.

As part of this extensive multiyear network investment strategy, AT&T monitors the quality and coverage of its wireless network in South Carolina. Third-party vendors assess the company’s network performance, and AT&T engineers monitor the network to ensure that it is operating at peak efficiency.

In addition to the state’s network enhancements and upgrades, AT&T will open four company-owned retail stores in 2008. AT&T currently operates 20 company-owned retail stores in the state
related information