AT&T has finally begun rolling out its 4G/LTE network starting in five US cities: Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Antonio. The company says the "next network revolution" will begin in those markets this summer, with another 10 markets coming later in 2011.
AT&T announced last year that the company planned to get its LTE network going by the middle of 2011, covering 70 million to 75 million Americans by the end of the year. The company reiterated its plans several months ago, adding that it's the only company that will offer HSPA+ (a faster version of its 3G network) and LTE side by side. At the time, AT&T also said it would have the nationwide LTE rollout complete by the end of 2013, and claimed that two-thirds of its mobile traffic will have access to fiber or Ethernet backhaul by the end of 2011.
In its announcement on Wednesday morning, AT&T said that it hopes to add 20 4G-capable devices—"some of those being LTE capable"—to its lineup in order to help those 70 million users take advantage of the new network. Past the initial five cities, though, the company did not give details on which other markets would be included in the next wave. We wouldn't be surprised to see AT&T follow in Verizon's footsteps, though, and target some of the medium-to-large "NFL cities" if the first five markets go well.
