LTE is the wave of the future in the mobile network world, and while we’re still waiting to hear about the next phase of LTE speeds, carriers like AT&T are working fervently to get their current LTE coverage out to as many Americans as possible. AT&T has been moving at a breakneck pace with its LTE rollout, and while it doesn’t have nearly as many LTE markets live as Verizon does, it’s the second largest LTE network in the US among all the major carriers. AT&T is announcing today that 3 new LTE markets have gone live, and 11 have been expanded to give better coverage, to bring AT&T’s LTE network to a total of 400 markets covered. The list of new markets is:
- Alexander City, Ala.
- Concord, N.H.
- Jamestown, N.Y
And the expanded markets are:
- Fresno, San Francisco and Stockton, Calif.
- Washington, D.C.
- Springfield, Mo.
- Columbus, Ohio
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Houston, Texas
- Seattle and Tacoma, Wash.
- and Charleston, W.Va.
AT&T has also been upgrading their backhaul network to meet the needs of its customers and to provide the best speeds possible on their LTE network. As a result AT&T is citing that 90% of mobile data traffic runs over their enhanced backhaul network, meaning you’ll be getting the fastest speeds possible with LTE so long as there isn’t a ton of congestion in your area of course. AT&T is also saying that 35% of all its data-subscribing customers are on an LTE-enabled phone these days, meaning there’s still plenty of customers to get upgraded to newer phones. AT&T currently covers an estimated 240 million people with its LTE network, which compares to the most recent 160 million by T-Mobile’s LTE network, Sprint’s nearly 200 million, and Verizon’s massive 298 million covered. The LTE rollout is nearly complete for Verizon, and certainly most of the way there for AT&T.