AT&T to invest billions in network overhaul

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Billions will be invested by AT&T this year for the overhauling of its 3G network. The iPhone-related mobile data traffic explosion has resulted in dropped calls and painfully slow throughput in some congested markets and this move is aimed at keeping up with this congestion.

$18 billion to $19 billion is the expected capital expenditures investment by AT&T in 2010 which is about $2 billion more than last year on wireless network and backhaul. iPhone zones like New York and San Francisco are the main targets of this overhaul and the operator will increase its capacity, with 2,000 additional cell sites and 400,000 more square miles of 3G coverage.

The move has become even more imperative for AT&T because of the introduction of Apple iPad which has increased the data traffic even further.