AT&T has been trying to spread its wings into Mexico since last November, and it looks like the U.S. carrier will finally achieve its dream, as it has now announced its rollout of 4G LTE coverage into the United States’ southern neighbor.
According to AT&T, this roll-out will be a gradual one, with the carrier hoping to have its 4G LTE towers reach 40 million people in Mexico by the end of 2015. The carrier hopes to increase that number to 75 million once 2016 ends, with 100 million people hopefully blanketed by the end of 2018.
For the time being, however, you can only get AT&T’s 4G LTE service in six cities, including:
- Atlacomulco, Estado de México
- Cuernavaca, Morelos
- Cuautla, Morelos
- Pachuca, Hidalgo
- Tepeji, Hidalgo
- Tulancingo, Hidalgo
Regardless, 4G LTE will be quite the boon for the Mexican populace. Before being purchased by AT&T, Iusacell and Nextel Mexico only offered up to HSPA+ speeds. Now, however, AT&T will bolster those speeds up to 4G LTE. Meanwhile, customers on AT&T’s Unidos con Todos plan will also reap the benefits of today’s announcement by being able to use the new 4G LTE network as part of the plan’s data package.
Unsurprisingly, AT&T is rather excited about today’s developments. “The mobile Internet in the United States created an engine of economic growth, and we believe it will do the same here in Mexico,” said AT&T Mexico CEO Thaddeus Arroyo. “This next-generation, high-speed mobile network empowers consumers and businesses to reach a new potential as they explore, discover, and try new things.”
To have made this possible, AT&T first acquired Iusacell last November for $2.5 billion, with Nextel Mexico also purchased for roughly $1.9 billion back in January of this year. In other words, it wasn’t exactly the cheapest journey for AT&T to take, but it was a journey that would allow the carrier to call itself the first-ever North American Mobile Service Area, which the firm hopes will grow to cover 400 million subscribers between the U.S. and Mexico.
