In Illinois, we invested more than $3.1 billion in our wireless and wireline network infrastructure from 2020-2022 to connect more people to greater possibility.

Cities and communities throughout Illinois are seeing the impacts of this investment, including:

• More than $1.8 billion in the Chicago market

We know how important it is for our customers to stay connected through life’s defining moments, whether you’re camping at Starved Rock State Park, biking along Lake Michigan or visiting the capitol in Springfield. That’s why we’re focused on boosting network reliability and capacity as we expand our network. We’re working to help residents get the best possible AT&T experience wherever they live, work and play.

Committed to expanding connectivity, our investment focuses on all facets of the network —including fiber, 5G and FirstNet,® Built with AT&T.

• Expanding Access to Fiber: To help meet the demands for reliable, high-speed connections today – and in the future – we’re investing in our fiber network.¹ With nearly 3.1 million strand-miles of fiber optics in Illinois, AT&T Fiber^® is now available to over 770,000 customer locations in more than 100 Illinois cities, including Aurora, Chicago, Naperville, Joliet, Elgin, Waukegan, Springfield, and Champaign-Urbana.
  • Beyond Illinois, our fiber is available to 19.7M consumers and more than 3M business customer locations in 100+ U.S. metro areas.
  • AT&T Fiber provides speed, reliability and value for consumers and businesses to enhance their internet experience for applications like video conferencing, virtual learning, telehealth, gaming and more.
• Unlocking the Power of 5G: AT&T is America’s Most Reliable 5G Network², connecting hundreds of millions of Americans to what matters most to them.
  • From rural communities to urban areas, our overall wireless voice and data network covers more than 99% of all Americans, including Illinois.
  • We’re working with businesses from manufacturing to healthcare to create new innovations and increase efficiencies with AT&T 5G.
  • We’re ramping up performance in high traffic areas, including airports, stadiums and venues, including Chicago’s Soldier Field, the United Center and Midway and O’Hare airports.
  • For less densely populated areas like Greenville, Jacksonville, Belleville, Taylorville, Jerseyville, Collinsville, Edwardsville, and Carpentersville, we’re expanding our 5G network so people there can have access to reliable connectivity.

• Supporting First Responders by Expanding the Nation’s Public Safety Network: As America’s public safety communications partner, we’re giving more of the public safety community access to their network. With FirstNet, we’re helping connect first responders in more than 425 communities across the state.
  • FirstNet includes unique benefits for first responders like always-on priority and preemption, high-quality Band 14 spectrum and a one-of-a-kind 5G experience to keep public safety mission ready.
  • We’ve rolled out Band 14 on more than 1,800 sites across Illinois to provide public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity when they need it. Areas currently benefiting from Band 14 include Chicago, Bloomington, Peoria and Alton.

At AT&T, we believe every American should be connected to the internet and we’re working with governments and non-profit organizations to make it happen. We’re on track to deliver on our $2B commitment between 2021-2023 to help bridge the digital divide and tackle barriers to broadband access, adoption and affordability.

• We’re committed to providing affordable service for low-income households. The Access from AT&T plan– when combined with the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – can provide no-cost home internet service for eligible households.^3,4
• We created AT&T Connected Learning to invest in digital inclusion, digital literacy and digital learning solutions to help today’s students and their families succeed wherever they learn – at home, in the community and in the classroom.
• With 23 Connected Learning Centers already open across the U.S., we’ve announced plans to reach 50 total centers nationwide, including at Boys & Girls Clubs.
• In Illinois we’ve opened 2 AT&T Connected Learning Centers in Chicago – one on the city’s southwest side and another on the west side – held more than 20 digital literacy workshops and distributed nearly 575 computers to students and their families as part of our commitment to help bridge the digital divide.

Good news is always great to share. Here are a few highlights from this year in Illinois:

• October 4, 2023 | AT&T Boosts Network Speeds for Decatur: AT&T has expanded its 5G network in Decatur, giving residents, businesses and visitors a big boost in their wireless connectivity. We’ve added multiple new cell towers and improved another to enhance the area’s coverage and capacity. Read more.

To keep up with all the latest updates from AT&T, follow us on Twitter @ATTPublicPolicy.