University students and Baton Rouge residents with AT&T mobile devices will soon be able to reap the rewards of a 4G network.
AT&T will be introducing its 4G network to Baton Rouge, New Orleans and several other metropolitan areas, according to the Gulf States public relations division. The changes will be implemented throughout April, May and early summer.
Baton Rouge, as well as most of Louisiana, is currently covered by AT&T’s 3G LTE network, which allows users to download data at speeds up to 100 megabytes per second. The 4G LTE upgrade will increase speeds up to 10 times, according to the AT&T website.
The newest upgrade comes after heavy investment in the Baton Rouge area network. According to Sue Sperry, public relations director for the Gulf states area, AT&T spent more than $250 million on infrastructure improvements between 2009 and 2011.
Sonia Perez, state president of AT&T Louisiana, said in a news release that AT&T is excited to give subscribers an opportunity to use the full potential of the 4G-capable devices.
“AT&T customers in Baton Rouge can look forward to even faster mobile Internet speeds very soon, on our leading lineup of smartphones and devices,” Perez said. “We’re excited to bring Baton Rouge all that 4G LTE has to offer. Our teams will be working hard across the city toward our upcoming launch.”
In addition to expanding 4G LTE coverage, AT&T offers a 4G HSPA+ network for less populous areas. HSPA+ is an alternative technology that offers slower speeds than LTE but allows users to switch seamlessly between the two.
 
—- Contact Gordon Brillon at [email protected]