AT&T is proud to connect customers across the country by continuing to grow the nation’s best network1. From 2018-2020, we expanded coverage and improved connectivity in more communities by investing nearly $1.4 billion in our wireless and wireline networks in Tennessee.
These investments include:
- Nearly $250 million in Memphis
- More than $125 million in the Knoxville
- Nearly $475 million in the Nashville area
AT&T’s commitment to communities across the country continues and spans all layers of our network—from fiber to 5G to FirstNet®. These investments are essential to connecting our customers with their family, friends and colleagues by increasing the network’s speed, reliability, coverage and overall performance.
In 2021, we are increasing our fiber footprint by 3 million customer locations across more than 90 metro areas that we currently serve, including in Tennessee. We also recently announced that AT&T will invest $2 billion over the next 3 years to help address the digital divide nationwide. AT&T further improved critical communications for Tennessee‘s first responders and improved public safety with FirstNet® – America’s public safety network.
“By continuing to improve our network at the state and local levels, we are helping businesses grow in Tennessee and helping to ensure that our customers and communities stay connected throughout the country.”
Joelle Phillips – President, AT&T Tennessee
“From connecting family and loved ones to helping first responders during a crisis, AT&T is committed to investing in Tennessee to build state-of-the-art infrastructure that will keep people connected,” said AT&T Tennessee President Joelle Phillips. “By continuing to improve our network at the state and local levels, we are helping businesses grow in Tennessee and helping to ensure that our customers and communities stay connected throughout the country.”
“Access to fast communications infrastructure is a key ingredient of business growth, education, and workforce development,” said Bradley Jackson, President & CEO, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “We are thankful for the investment and expanded connectivity and look to our policy makers to continue to be a driving force for the spread of top performing internet access to all of Tennessee’s schools, businesses, and families.”
More details about our wireless coverage in Tennessee, and anywhere in the U.S., can be found on the AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.
Expanding Access to Fiber
In order to meet the continual demands for reliable, high-speed connections in our increasingly virtual world, we are looking to the future and investing in solutions like fiber around the country.
AT&T Fiber® offers speeds of nearly 1 GIG2 for both upload and download, which provides plenty of bandwidth for consumers and businesses and creates a better internet experience for bandwidth- heavy applications like video conferencing, virtual learning, telehealth, and gaming that are growing in popularity and importance. It has also proven to be 99% reliable3 and offers consistently fast speeds, even during peak times.4
Is fiber available in my area? We currently offer AT&T Fiber in more than 90 metro areas across the U.S. AT&T Fiber is currently available in parts of Jackson, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville and southeast Tennessee.
Bringing fast, reliable, secure AT&T 5G to more Americans
AT&T is also unlocking the power of 5G for consumers, businesses and first responders:
- AT&T 5G, delivered over sub-6 spectrum sets us up to offer a better wireless experience with greater capacity to enable faster responses on capable devices. AT&T offers fast, reliable and highly secure 5G to 240 million people in 14,000 cities and towns nationwide including parts of 49 Tennessee counties.
To check out the latest fiber pricing options head to att.com and to learn more about AT&T 5G, visit our AT&T 5G site.
FirstNet: Dedicated to America’s First Responders
We are committed to improving public safety infrastructure. As a part of that commitment, we have invested and built FirstNet in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – an independent agency within the federal government. FirstNet is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community.
- Expanding to serve: FirstNet focuses on where first responders need connectivity. We’ve moved quickly to deliver more coverage, boost capacity and drive new capabilities for first responders. Using all AT&T LTE commercial spectrum as well as high-quality Band 14 spectrum, FirstNet covers 2.71 million square miles nationwide. And we’re actively extending the reach of FirstNet in Tennessee to give agencies large and small the reliable, unthrottled connectivity and modern communications tools they require.
- First responder-centric 5G: FirstNet subscribers in parts of 38 cities and more than 20 venues now have access to AT&T 5G+. Our approach to 5G for public safety is unlike anything else. We’ve upgraded the dedicated FirstNet network core to enable 5G connectivity that is being built to intuitively optimize the experience for America’s first responders. First responders maintain voice communications with always-on priority and preemption on LTE, while the FirstNet network determines the best route for data traffic with compatible devices, whether that’s 5G+ or LTE spectrum.
The FirstNet network is providing Tennessee public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity when they need. These advanced capabilities enable FirstNet to help fire, EMS, and law enforcement personnel save lives and protect their communities.
The Connect America Fund
Through our participation in the FCC’s Connect America Fund universal service program, we are helping to meet the connectivity needs of customers in largely rural areas and to expand the opportunities enabled by internet access. By the end of 2020, we offered high-speed internet access to over 81,000 locations across Tennessee in mostly rural areas through technologies like Fixed Wireless Internet.
FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
1 GWS awarded AT&T Best Network OneScore 2020. GWS conducts drive tests for AT&T and uses the data in its OneScore analysis.
2 Speeds vary and not guaranteed. Internet speed claims represent maximum network service capabilities and based on wired connection to gateway. Actual customer speeds may vary based on a number of factors and are not guaranteed. Download speeds for Internet 1000 are typically up to 940Mbps due to overhead capacity reserved to deliver the data. For more information, go to www.att.com/speed101.
3 Based on network availability.
4 Based on wired connection to the gateway.
