JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- At AT&T1, we've invested nearly $3.2 billion in our Florida wireless and wired networks during 2016-2018. These investments boost reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses. We've improved critical services that support Public Safety and first responders using the FirstNet communications platform. And, we've helped meet the needs of customers in largely rural areas through our participation in the FCC's Connect America Fund.

AT&T's wireless network covers more than 99% of all Americans and has become the fastest wireless network in the nation, according to the first quarter 2019 results from tests taken with Speedtest® and analyzed by Ookla®. 2 

In 2018, AT&T made more than 3,200 wireless network upgrades throughout the Sunshine State. Some of the notable local network enhancements included:

• Adding extra capacity and bandwidth to more than 2,800 cell sites to increase speed and boost performance
• Turning on 37 new cell sites
• Activating 44 new Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), including at a key Broward County sporting venue and at some popular Orlando theme parks
• Expanding 29 existing DAS, including at Daytona's major speedway
• Launching 5G in parts of Jacksonville

"For Florida to continue to thrive and attract new jobs and innovation, sustained investment by the private sector is crucial," said Tom Feeney, president and CEO of the Associated Industries of Florida. "Residents and businesses across Florida benefit from the pro-investment environment created by elected leaders across the state, and investments by companies like AT&T are making business growth possible and assuring that our residents have the tools to stay connected and entertained."

Policy makers in Florida have adopted smart policies that have opened the door to increased investments in vital, high-speed infrastructure, and in that pro-investment environment, AT&T will continue its investment in Florida with additional upgrades.

"We're always looking for new opportunities to enhance coverage for our customers and FirstNet subscribers," said Joe York, president, AT&T Florida. "This investment will help keep customers connected when and where they need it most. It 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 our 4G LTE network, we're boosting network speeds and capacity, as we continue to expand the availability of our network and upgrade our technology.

Additionally, for the 5th consecutive year we've landed on Fortune magazine's list of the "World's Most Admired" companies. It's also the 6th year in a row we've appeared on the Global Top 50 list – no other telecom company made the Top 50.

Transforming Public Safety Communications
FirstNet is Public Safety's dedicated, nationwide communications platform. It is for all first responders – career and volunteer, urban or rural. It's bringing public safety communications into the 21st century with new, innovative capabilities, helping first responders connect to the critical information they need – every day and in every emergency.

Building upon our current and planned investments in Florida, we continue to extend the reach and increase the capacity of the FirstNet communications platform:

-  Deployed Band 14 spectrum in more than 600 markets nationwide, including 56 counties in Florida. Some of the larger Florida markets with Band 14 include South Florida, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa. Band 14 is high-quality spectrum provided by the First Responder Network Authority. Its signal covers larger geographic areas with less infrastructure to better support rural communities, and it can better reach in-building in more urban areas as compared to higher-MHz spectrum.
-  Florida first responders 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. 3
-  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.