AT&T has announced its Wisconsin wireless network investment plans for
2010.

The plans include more than 30 new cell sites and the upgrade of more
than 180 more to 3G.

AT&T said it plans to spend $18 billion to $19 billion across all of
its territories on wireless infrastructure, something sorely needed as
wireless device use -- particularly the iPhone -- booms, causing
connection issues. In part because of the huge amount of bandwidth
consumed by some iPhone users, AT&T typically is rated worst in
connection by consumers polled about wireless providers.

AT&T said wireless data traffic has grown more than 5,000 percent over
the past three years, largely attributed to smartphones like the
iPhone that are generating dramatically increasing volumes of network
traffic. In fact, AT&T said roughly 40 percent of its postpaid
customer base now uses a smartphone, representing twice the number of
smartphone customers than any other U.S. provider.

Read iPhone in those figures, as AT&T has an exclusive deal with Apple
for the hugely popular device.

AT&T said its "planned level of investment is framed by the
expectation that regulatory and legislative decisions relating to the
telecom sector will continue to be sensitive to investment."

In other words: legislators take care of us or we won't spend this
much.

In 2009, AT&T said it added 31 new cell sites in Wisconsin and
upgraded 85 existing sites to 3G.

"These investments in smart networks are enabling the innovation of
today and tomorrow that will enhance economic growth and stimulate
jobs," Scott T. VanderSanden, president, AT&T Wisconsin, said in a
statement. "We commend the work of Rep. Zepnick and the other leaders
of our state who are creating a positive economic environment that
provides opportunities for companies to continue to invest
aggressively in Wisconsin."

The company said faster 3G speeds are scheduled to become available
this year and in 2011 as AT&T combines new High-Speed Packet Access
(HSPA) 7.2 technology with a dramatic increase in the number of
high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with
fiber-optic connections, adding capacity from cell sites to the AT&T
backbone network.

AT&T said the backhaul upgrades are also a key step in the evolution
toward next-generation LTE mobile broadband technology. AT&T is
designing its new backhaul deployments to accommodate both faster 3G
and future LTE deployments. AT&T currently plans to begin trials of
LTE technology this year, and to begin LTE deployment in 2011,
matching industry time lines for broader availability of compelling
devices and supporting network equipment.