Present and Projected Technology
Clutching 95.5 million wireless subscribers, the largest network in United States, AT&T have numerous plans to upgrade their present and future network technology.
Mobile internet is on a brink of constant changes these days as newer technologies keeps on popping. Understanding this trend AT&T, the GSM based telecommunication carrier, proudly advertises that its customers can surf the web as well as make phone calls simultaneously on their Smartphone. They have released an array of sweet 3G packages that allows unlimited downloads and unknowingly attach the subscribers to AT&T in spite of constant service complaints. Gazing the above fact, it can be said that their customers are happy with the existing GSM, 3G and EDGE network that they are experiencing currently.
AT&T’s GSM network offers truest wireless voice quality. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is their first level of GSM data service. The EDGE technology that was deployed in 2003 enables high-speed internet access and mobile data transfers. For its 3G network, AT&T uses HSDPA (High-Speed Packet Access) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Service) that makes them possible to offer wireless service that is rich in features. The customers can view quality video clips, load faster internet pages, download quicker emails and files and do all sorts of multitasking.
By deploying the HSPA+ technology, the company is expecting to increase their present mobile internet speed by 4 times. This will allow 4G LTE network for a smoother and consistent mobile internet. They have announced their tie up with Qualcomm Inc. for their 4G wireless spectrum. They intend to deploy 4G spectrum for a longer term as a supplemental downlink, using carrier aggregation technology.
The Qualcomm’s D block spectrum is capable of covering more than 300 million users nationwide with 12 MHz of Lower 700 MHz and the E block can cover more than 70 million people in the 15 topmost metropolitan cities across the United States including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston and others. The D block spectrum of 6 MHz of Lower 700 MHz can cover 230 million subscribers in the other parts of the country.
Thus, AT&T has great plans for its dominance for the ultimate wireless in US but, the time will tell how successful they would be with the 4G and network implementation.
