AT&T invests more than $500 million in Arkansas network upgrades over past three years, officials say

AT&T said Thursday that it has invested more than $550 million in the wireless and telecom giant’s Arkansas wireless and wired networks between 2013 and 2015, including several wireless network upgrades, new cell sites and network capacity, and new wireless high-speed Internet connections.

“We’re committed to providing our customers fast, reliable, highly secure connectivity. We want them to be able access the Internet at any moment, from almost any device and anywhere,” said Ed Drilling, president of AT&T Arkansas. “Our continued investment in Arkansas brings a host of new, innovative opportunities for residents and businesses.”

Drilling said the investments by the Dallas-based telecom giant through 2015 drive a wide range of upgrades to reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses. They also enhance critical services that support public safety and first responders.

Added Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson in a statement:  “In order for Arkansas to continue to thrive and serve its residents, it’s imperative we have companies that invest through thoughtful innovation. AT&T is making ongoing investments in its fast, reliable network. With this, our residents and businesses have the tools to compete and grow.”

In late 2015, AT&T planned to expand the availability of its “super-fast” gigabit Internet service to residential and small businesses in the Little Rock, Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas metropolitan areas. AT&T officials would not divulge the approximate rollout dates for the service, but said new launches typically take place within a year of announced plans.

The rollout of the new Internet is part of AT&T’s nationwide expansion of the service to 38 additional metros across the U.S. The service is now available to 56 metro areas across AT&T’s vast fiber optic network.

In May 2015, Cox Communications was the first to announce that it is actively deploying fiber optic infrastructure in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Virginia to bring its “G1GABLAST” to customers in those states. The service launched in parts of Northwest Arkansas in the fall, and Cox has said that its residential gigabit service will be available in all of its markets by the end of 2016.

Earlier this year, Comcast announced plans to unveil its 2-gig Internet service in Atlanta and other communities across the South, but not Arkansas.