AT&T launches 4G LTE in a handful of cities

By Adam Rosenberg September 18, 2011

AT&T LTE

AT&T announced last week that it would be launching 4G LTE service this weekend, and the promise is now fulfilled. Fast just got faster for AT&T wireless subscribers in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio.

The newly updated coverage map notes that the plan is to expand coverage to “15 major metropolitan areas” by the end of this year. That leaves a lot of ground to make up on Verizon. The competing wireless provider launched its own 4G LTE service late last year and now services 143 markets, with that number planned to climb as high as 175 by the close of 2011.

The expanded coverage should speed things up considerably for those AT&T customers who can take advantage. Download speeds are competitive with Verizon’s, at 5-12Mbps. The pricing, as previously revealed, comes to $50 per month for 5GB of data, with a $10 per GB charge for more.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Mobile

MediaTek’s T800 chipset will bring ultrafast 5G to more devices than ever

MediaTek Processor

MediaTek is on a roll again with a series of impressive chipsets that promise to revolutionize 5G technology from several angles, including taking it beyond smartphones to devices like fixed wireless 5G routers, mobile hotspots, vehicles, and smart home devices.

While the company has already impressed us with some cutting-edge technology in the new Dimensity 9200 this week, it turns out that's just the tip of a much bigger iceberg. MediaTek is also using its modem chipmaking skills to produce smaller and more energy-efficient chips capable of powering the next generation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices without compromising on performance.
The MediaTek T800

Mobile

Is 5G dangerous for airplanes? Here’s what pilots and the FAA say

Aircraft among clouds descending for a landing.

After months of wrangling with the aviation industry, AT&T and Verizon finally got the green light to go live with their new C-Band 5G rollouts earlier this year. While both carriers had to make some concessions to placate fears that the new spectrum would interfere with aircraft instruments, some pilots are now wondering if those were enough.

Throughout most of 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and key aviation industry stakeholders argued that the frequencies used by the new C-band spectrum sat perilously close to those occupied by critical aircraft instruments, such as radar altimeters. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), AT&T, and Verizon disagreed — citing studies conducted by the government regulator that showed little to no risk.

Mobile

The best 5G phone plans in 2022

Cell tower FM radio

There's no doubt that 5G access has come a long way in the past couple of years or so, allowing for faster speeds across the board. All three of the major U.S. carriers now offer nationwide networks, and all include 5G support in their main plans and some of them have prepaid 5G phone plans.

Given the fact that all of the carriers offer 5G coverage in their plans, you might be wondering which offers the best 5G plans. From AT&T, to T-Mobile, to Verizon, all plans have their pros and cons. Here's everything you need to know.
AT&T 5G Phone plans