AT&T 4G comes to Morgantown

Morgantown AT&T customers now have 4G coverage, thanks to a statewide initiative by AT&T to expand first-rate coverage.

According to statements from AT&T spokeswoman Elyssa Rae, the expansion gives 4G mobile customers access to data transfer speeds up to four times faster than 3G.

"Speed makes a difference when you’re connecting to the mobile internet," she said.

Rae said AT&T’s network team is dedicated to constantly improving customer connectivity.

"AT&T knows how important it is for University students to stay connected," she said. "They can listen to Pandora at the gym, call their parents in between classes, message their classmates on Facebook – all at speeds once unimaginable."

AT&T’s 4G coverage spreads across Morgantown, west over I-79, northwest into Maidsville, northeast into Fayette county and east almost to the Preston County border.

AT&T has spent more than $23 million to improve, update and expand data coverage across the state.

"We are constantly working to upgrade our network to keep up with demand," Rae said. "Most people are shocked when they hear that demand for wireless data usage has increased 8,000 percent just in the past 4 years."

In the national cellphone market, industry standards for data transfer speeds are clearly defined, and 4G is the most recent.

Several University students and AT&T customers have differing opinions about the expansion.

"Like, 90 percent of students have iPhones," said freshman pre-medicine and biology student J.R. Sisson.

Sisson said he thinks the expansion is about generating revenue, but he will admit mobile internet on his iPhone is faster.

"It’s all just about money," he said.

Junior biology student Eugenia Makricostas has had her iPhone since January.

"I don’t really notice it now," she said. "But now that I’ve had 4G for a while, I don’t really want to go back."

Makricostas said she doesn’t think the expansion specifically targets Morgantown.

"I think this is a push to cover the whole nation," she said.

Makricostas’ hometown of Weirton, W.Va., has had 4G long before Morgantown upgraded.

"I’ve never really noticed a difference between here and there," she said.

AT&T is the largest provider of mobile telphones in the United States – and the 20th largest mobile telecom operator in the world.

For more information about AT&T or to view coverage maps, visit att.com.