AT&T keeps getting better!

AT&T today announced its plans for rolling out 7.2 Mbps 3G data service on its network. Deployment will begin in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, with service in those cities beginning by the end of the year. Service will be extended over the following two years to cover approximately 90% of the current U.S. 3G network area.

AT&T plans to begin deployment of HSPA 7.2 in six major U.S. cities, including Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, with initial service availability expected in these markets by the end of the year. All told, the company plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 in 25 of the nation's 30 largest markets by the end of 2010, and to reach about 90 percent of its existing 3G network footprint with HSPA 7.2 by the end of 2011.

AT&T announced in late May that it would be deploying the technology, which doubles the theoretical speed of its existing 3G network as an interim step toward LTE (4G) offerings scheduled to begin rolling out in 2011.

Apple's iPhone 3GS, released in June, does support the faster 7.2 Mbps download speed being deployed, although it is apparently unable to support the faster upload speeds associated with the new standard. from http://www.macrumors.com/

From the AT&T website:
Broadband

Extending broadband services to more Americans will create jobs, lead to the development of new, innovative products and fuel economic growth. It will connect more Americans to educational and employment opportunities and open the door to better, less expensive health care. And, it will cut energy consumption and reduce environmental damage.

AT&T stands ready to assist in the important goal of furthering broadband deployment and adoption. We're investing billions of dollars to build advanced broadband networks — both wired and wireless — that will create jobs, fuel economic growth and make affordable broadband services available to more people. Underscoring that commitment, we joined with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and many others, in calling for a comprehensive National Broadband Strategy.

We recently completed deployment of the world's largest, fastest backbone technology available today — 40-gigabit per second, which will dramatically expand capacity to handle the ever-growing demand for bandwidth. We are also delivering the nation's fastest 3G connectivity, with 4G LTE just around the corner. In addition, we have the nation's largest Wi-Fi network with nearly 20,000 hot spots at locations including Starbucks, airports and hotels.