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AT&T Pumps $90M into Hampton Roads, Va., Cellular Network

The upgrade is part of of AT&T's Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan focused on network enhancement and expansion.

(Tribune News Service) -- Hampton Roads AT&T cell phone customers should soon see their cellular coverage and access grow in the coming months.

The Dallas-based company invested nearly $90 million in its wireless and wired networks across Hampton Roads between 2012 and 2014, according to a news release.

As part of its Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan focused on network enhancement and expansion, AT&T upgraded cell sites in the Grafton area and at the intersections of Denbigh Boulevard and Interstate 64, the news release said.

AT&T is one of the largest cellular phone networks in the nation. Much of AT&T’s improvements involve upgrading 20 of its 4G LTE sites across the region.

The term 4G means the fourth generation of data technology for cellular networks proceeding third generation networks, or 3G. The term LTE stands for Long Term Evolution — a process that involves high-speed data for phones and other mobile devices.

Statewide, the firm has invested nearly $950 million to overhaul and upgrade its cellular and wireless networks, especially in the state’s growing metros like Richmond and northern Virginia.

The firm has also expanded new Wi-Fi hot spots across the area, and has plans to add new cell site coverage in Isle of Wight County. AT&T officials also have announced plans continue overhauling its wireless and wired network infrastructure across the state.

“With a growing range of connected home appliances, cars and wearable devices, we depend more on network connectivity than ever before,” said J. Michael Schweder, president of AT&T mid-Atlantic, in a statement.

©2015 the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC