AT&T expands 4G LTE to Vega Alta, Toa Baja, Cayey
Ray Flores, regional vice president for AT&T
As part of its continuing network investment and ongoing 4G LTE rollout, AT&T has added three mobile Internet cell sites in Vega Alta, Toa Baja and Cayey to expand its 4G LTE coverage for area residents and businesses, the company announced this week.
AT&T launched its 4G LTE network in Puerto Rico in November 2011. The new cell sites are one part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to expand 4G LTE coverage and to drive investment and innovation to deliver the nation’s best, most advanced mobile Internet experience for customers. The investment associated with the new coverage was not disclosed.
“Our goal is for our customers to have an extraordinary experience, and they’ll be able to download, upload, stream and game faster than ever before on our 4G LTE network,” said Ray Flores, regional vice president for AT&T in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“As part of the Puerto Rico community, we’re always looking for new opportunities to provide enhanced coverage, and our investment in the local wireless network is another way we’re accomplishing that,” he said.
This launch is part of AT&T’s Project Velocity IP (VIP), a three-year investment plan announced in Fall 2012 to expand and enhance its IP broadband networks. Through this investment, AT&T is supporting its customers’ growing desire for high-speed Internet access and new mobile, app and cloud-based services.
As part of Project VIP, AT&T plans to add macro cell sites nationwide by year-end 2015, as well as deploy small cells and add Distributed Antenna Systems to increase the density of its wireless network.
Over the past three years (2011-2013) AT&T has invested more than $325 million in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Puerto Rico, driving a wide range of upgrades to enhance speed, reliability, coverage and performance for residents and business customers.
Grant for USVI
In related news, AT&T announced it has awarded the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) a $30,000 grant in support of its 2014 Summer Bridge Program. Summer Bridge is a free, five-week, residential program offered on UVI’s campuses on St. Thomas and St. Croix. It is designed to strengthen the students’ critical reading, writing and math skills with intensive classroom work, while improving their chances for success in college. It is open to students who have graduated from high school and are planning to enter UVI in the fall.
“With the expansion of the Summer Bridge Program, UVI will be able to grow their outreach to more students to be able to enhance their preparation for and chances of long-term success while attending UVI,” said Flores. “AT&T’s support of Summer Bridge is consistent with our belief that investments in our youth’s preparation for college will reap countless rewards for them personally and for their communities.”
In addition to this grant for the Summer Bridge Program, AT&T presented a $28,000 grant last November to support another 2014 summer program, the Math Behind the Science Bridge Program. Math Behind the Science is designed specifically for students interested in pursuing careers in science, mathematics, engineering, technology or medicine. The earlier grant brings the company’s total financial support of UVI summer programs this year to $58,000.
