AT&T invests some $350M in 3 years to boost P.R. networks
AT&T has invested nearly $350 million in its Puerto Rico wireless and wired networks during 2016-2018, the company announced
The investments boost reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses.
The carrier has also improved critical services that support Public Safety and first responders using the FirstNet communications platform.
In 2018, AT&T made more than 600 wireless network upgrades in Puerto Rico, following the devastating hurricanes of the prior year. It added more capacity and bandwidth to hundreds of cell sites to increase speeds and boost performance. AT&T also recovered cell sites damaged during the 2017 hurricane season.
“We’re always looking for new opportunities to enhance coverage for our customers and FirstNet subscribers,” said Alexandra Verdiales-Costa, AT&T regional vice president. “This investment will also pave the path to 5G mobile services in the years ahead.”
The AT&T LTE network covers more than 400 million people in North America. By building out its 4G LTE network, AT&T is boosting network speeds and capacity, as it continues to expand the availability of its network and upgrade its technology.
Transforming public safety communications
AT&T’s current and planned investments in Puerto Rico include extending the reach and and increase the capacity of the FirstNet communications platform, used by first responders — career and volunteer, urban, or rural.
“First responders in Puerto Rico enjoy the fastest overall experience on FirstNet, compared to any commercial network in the nation, thanks to the specialized capabilities enabled by the physically separate and dedicated FirstNet network core, like always-on priority and preemption,” AT&T executives said.
Public safety agencies subscribed to FirstNet have 24/7 access to a nationwide fleet of 75 deployable network assets. These assets can either be deployed for planned events or called upon in emergencies to help first responders stay connected and operate faster, safer and more effectively when lives are on the line.
FirstNet is built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority — an independent agency within the federal government. This helps ensure that the FirstNet communications platform and service offerings meet the short- and long-term needs of the public safety community.
