AT&T launches 4G LTE in a handful of cities

By Adam Rosenberg September 18, 2011

AT&T LTE — Image used with permission by copyright holder

AT&T announced last week that it would be launching 4G LTE service this weekend, and the promise is now fulfilled. Fast just got faster for AT&T wireless subscribers in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio.

The newly updated coverage map notes that the plan is to expand coverage to “15 major metropolitan areas” by the end of this year. That leaves a lot of ground to make up on Verizon. The competing wireless provider launched its own 4G LTE service late last year and now services 143 markets, with that number planned to climb as high as 175 by the close of 2011.

The expanded coverage should speed things up considerably for those AT&T customers who can take advantage. Download speeds are competitive with Verizon’s, at 5-12Mbps. The pricing, as previously revealed, comes to $50 per month for 5GB of data, with a $10 per GB charge for more.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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