AT&T said it had invested $1 billion to upgrade wireless and wireline infrastructure in certain areas across Florida during the 2015-2017 period
AT&T has installed new distributed antenna systems (DAS) and improved existing DAS in the Florida state during 2017 as part of the carrier’s program to upgrade wireless infrastructure, the company said in a release.
In 2017, AT&T made more than 1,400 wireless network upgrades in the Florida Keys, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach areas.
The telco said that it added extra capacity to more than 1,350 cell sites to increase data speeds and network performance for customers across these areas in Florida.
Last year, the telco installed a DAS at Florida International University in Miami that covers 9 buildings and boosts indoor wireless coverage for students and staff and added 9 more antennas and more than 8 miles of cable to its existing DAS at Miami’s pro football stadium, increasing network capacity by 25% at the venue.
AT&T said that improvements also included the addition of more than 50 antennas and about 5 miles of cable to its DAS at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton to boost network capacity by 200%
The company said it has already invested more than $1 billion in its Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward County, and Palm Beach County wireless and wired networks during 2015-2017.
“Our customers expect to have access at any moment, from almost any device – anywhere,” said Joe York, AT&T Florida president. “And we’re investing heavily to deliver faster, more reliable, highly secure connectivity to meet – and exceed – those expectations for South Florida residents.”
AT&T said that the carrier’s DAS generally consists of components including signal source, headend, remote units, fiber optic, ethernet or coaxial cable and antennas, and gave the following descriptions of those components:
-Signal Source: The AT&T signal source provides the FCC assigned frequencies to be distributed over the DAS. The signal source is connected to the headend.
-Headend: The interface and heart of the DAS that directs wireless carrier radio frequencies to and from the Remote Units.
-Remote Units: If required, the RUs amplify the radio frequencies from the headend to the antennas or from the antennas back to the headend.
-Antennas: Provide the radio frequency coverage patterns that allow AT&T subscribers to access the AT&T network to send or receive data.
-Fiber optic, ethernet or coaxial Cables: Provide interconnection between the DAS elements and either one or a mixture is used depending on the OEM used.
