U.S. Cellular, AT&T activating 4G LTE service in Tulsa area
BY ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer
Thursday, November 01, 2012
11/01/12 at 2:36 AM
See how Tulsa stays on the cutting edge.
No, it wasn't a Halloween trick - AT&T made a surprise move and activated 4G LTE services in metro Tulsa on Wednesday.
Customers with LTE-capable devices in Oologah, Pryor, Wagoner, Muskogee, Coweta, Sand Springs, Owasso, Collinsville, Glenpool, Claremore, Sapulpa and Bixby woke up to the service upgrade.
Also, U.S. Cellular announced that its LTE service will become active Monday in Tulsa, Bartlesville, Miami, Claremore, Eufaula, Muskogee, Wilburton, Henryetta, Okmulgee and McAlester.
LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is the new generation of cellular technology that's being embraced by most providers. The service features download speeds of up to 75 megabits per second, though it can vary by company and signal strength.
Faster data transmission allows for a variety of improved services, such as clearer audio and video streaming, faster web pages, lag-free gaming and more.
Steve Gray, vice president and general manager for AT&T Oklahoma and Arkansas, said in a press release that the company is responding to the wishes of users.
"We continue to see demand for mobile Internet skyrocket, and our 4G LTE network in Tulsa responds to what customers want from their mobile experience - more, faster, on the best devices," he said.
Tommy Arens, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Oklahoma, said in a release that his company continually works to improve its network.
"With more than half of our customers having access to 4G LTE speeds by the start of the holiday season, we are helping customers simplify and organize their lives more quickly and easier than ever," he said.
Although AT&T Inc. has technically provided 4G services since last year, it deferred to existing HSPA+ technology - service with the potential to be upgraded to much faster speeds - and not a local speed boost.
According to estimates by Apple Inc., HSPA+ delivers speeds of up to 21 megabits per second, compared to 3G HSPA at 7.2 mbps, and 73 mbps for LTE.
Devices without LTE capabilities can still be used on the upgraded networks.
AT&T now offers 22 LTE-enabled devices at its stores; U.S. Cellular has seven.
Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular already offer 4G LTE services. When U.S. Cellular's service becomes active, Sprint will be the last big carrier in the area without LTE.
Original Print Headline: U.S. Cellular, AT&T activating 4G LTE service
Robert Evatt 918-581-8447
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
A Verizon Wireless 4G LTE sign is displayed at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show. Bloomberg file
|
