The investment is aimed at increasing network speed, coverage and reliability for both mobile voice and broadband services.
The wireless giant has plans to launch LTE (News - Alert) beginning mid-year and wants to deploy enhanced backhaul connections that enable 4G speeds.
In addition, AT&T will install an increased number of radio "carriers" at more than 30,000 cell sites across the nation, bolstering the spectrum capacity to carry larger volumes of mobile broadband traffic that has increased more than 8,000 percent over the past four years.
In 2010, AT&T added more than 90 new cell sites in Virginia and upgraded more than 130 existing sites to mobile broadband. From 2008 to 2010, the carrier’s capital investment in its Virginia wireline and wireless networks was nearly $700 million.
"We've significantly ramped up our wireless investments to enable an experience that offers Virginia consumers better speed, better reliability and better availability,” said J. Michael Schweder, President AT&T Mid Atlantic.
The operator believes that its network will be expanded further in Virginia if it successfully acquires T-Mobile (News - Alert) USA, the 4G operator.
“If approved, this deal means that we'll be able to expand the next generation of mobile broadband – 4G LTE – from our current plan of 80 percent of the U.S. population to more than 97 percent," Schweder added.
In 2011, AT&T says it will focus on continuing to enhance its wireless network capacity, in addition to adding Wi-Fi hotzones and deploying technologies including Distributed Access System networks.
"Smartphones, tablets and laptops are continuing to drive unprecedented demand for wireless access everywhere," said Erika K. Thompson-Kemp, AT&T's Vice President and General Manager for the Virginia area. "We're investing in and deploying a combination of technologies to meet these needs and ensure an advanced broadband experience."
AT&T operates more than 24,000 hotspots in the U.S. and provides access to more than 135,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements.
