AT&T's 3G network comes to Vt.
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By Bruce Edwards STAFF REPORT - Published: December 17, 2009
AT&T is rolling out its 3G network in Vermont, a year after it acquired Unicel's cellular phone system in the state.
AT&T this week activated its 3G (third generation) network in Bennington, Brownsville, Brattleboro, Killington, Vernon, West Dover and White River Junction. The Warren area cell site will be activated later this week.
By the end of the year, the upgrade will be extended to Burlington, Colchester, Essex Junction, Fayston, Hartford, Jamaica, Jeffersonville, Ludlow, Middlebury, Montgomery Center, Rutland, South Burlington, St. Albans, Stowe, Waitsfield, West Rutland, West Townshend, West Wardsboro, Williston and Winooski.
AT&T spokeswoman Kate MacKinnon said Wednesday customers using data services "are going to notice an immediate difference in speed when they're on the 3G network."
The faster speed of a 3G network is what customers with smart phones, like the iPhone and Blackberry, have come to expect. The upgrade will also mean a significant improvement for mobile broadband users with an AT&T laptop air card.
Thomas Murray, executive director of the Vermont Telecommunications Authority, said AT&T's upgrade is one component in the state's plans to expand cellular phone service and high-speed Internet access across Vermont.
Murray said having a state-of-the-art cellular network is crucial to keeping Vermont competitive with other states.
"When you're trying to bring a business in and trying to show them that Vermont can compete and you have to make excuses for this, that or the other thing, that's not the position you want to be in," Murray said. "You want to be saying, 'Hey, we've got 3G coverage up here just like you've got in downtown Boston. There's no reason you couldn't site your business up here.' "
Murray also said the upgrade is important for the tourism industry as visitors expect the kind of speeds they have at home to stay connected with their smart phones and laptops.
During the first quarter of next year, AT&T cell sites that serve Barre, Montpelier and Northfield will also be upgraded to 3G speeds.
MacKinnon said by the end of the first quarter the majority of the population base served by AT&T will have access to the 3G network.
Although she didn't have a time frame, MacKinnon said, the remaining areas of the state will be upgraded in the future.
Verizon Wireless is the other major cell phone player in Vermont with a 3G network.
In addition to the 3G expansion, AT&T has integrated all former Unicel cell sites into its existing nationwide network and added a dozen new cell sites across the state.
AT&T acquired Unicel's assets in the state last December.
Last year, Verizon Wireless purchased Unicel, which operated in a number of states. However, since Verizon was the other dominant cell phone service in the state, regulators forced Verizon to divest Unicel's franchise in Vermont.
bruce.edwards@rutland herald.com
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