Does Sprint Really Care About West Virginia?
With Little or No Plan to Provide 4G LTE Technology, Sprint Is Using West Virginians as Pawns in "Cynical" Effort to Block Competitor
CHARLESTON, W.Va., May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With a current coverage map of West Virginia (posted on their website) that leaves much to be desired, and little or no plans to provide 4G LTE technology in the state, J. Michael Schweder, AT&T's President of the Mid-Atlantic Region, called Sprint's objection before the WV Public Service Commission "a cynical effort."
"AT&T is trying to bring the latest and fastest mobile Internet service to most of the citizens of West Virginia. Since Sprint is trying to stop that, we hope state officials will ask Sprint what its own plans are for bringing LTE speeds to the people of West Virginia," said Schweder. "We suspect Sprint either has no such plan, or that its own plans pale in comparison to AT&T's. In either case, we're confident West Virginians will see Sprint's filing for what it is -- a cynical effort to hurt a competitor, even if the ones truly hurt are the many people of West Virginia who would be denied the fast mobile Internet speeds they need and want."
The benefits of the proposed merger include expanded 4G LTE to over 97% of U.S. population, including bringing access to AT&T's LTE service to an additional 55 million Americans. In West Virginia, the expansion of 4G service as a result of the merger is especially dramatic and one of the largest of any states in the nation. In addition, the merger will bring an additional $8 billion in private infrastructure investment, will result in better mobile broadband access in rural communities, bring voice and data service improvements, and provide access for 34 million T-Mobile customers to nationwide, robust 4G LTE.
The merger also stands to strengthen America's largest wireless unionized workforce. AT&T has a long-standing cooperative relationship with labor unions — primarily the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. When approved, T-Mobile employees will be able to join the country's largest unionized wireless communications workforce meaning AT&T will have more full-time bargained-for jobs than any other private company in America.
For additional information, including before and after coverage maps for West Virginia, visit www.mobilizeeverything.com.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.
© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.
Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.
SOURCE AT&T Inc.
Share this article