ATT says San Francisco upgrades enroute

AT&T during the call to discuss its spring results revealed that its San Francisco upgrades lag about 90 days behind those in New York City. It didn't say when it expected upgrades to be completed, although Apple chief Steve Jobs alluded to the situation improving by the end of the summer. Among the upgrades are the addition of cell sites, third or fourth carriers and better antennas on existing sites and fiber optic to handle the backhaul supporting the network.

The carrier explained some of the effect of its upgrades in New York City, which has also served as a test case. Download speeds across the US are up 15 percent from year to year thanks to upgrades, but New York City as a whole has improved by 31 percent in just half a year, AT&T said. Dropped calls have also been reduced by 21 percent. Performance improvements have typically been larger in Manhattan, where 3G congestion has been acute.

AT&T has been upgrading its cellular service for well over a year to catch up to iPhone demand but is also believed to be in a new rush to improve its network before it loses its exclusive for the iPhone in the US. Along with hoping to stem departures due to network quality, it has given full discounts on the iPhone 4 to all subscribers who would have been eligible in 2010 and has almost doubled cancellation fees to make it more difficult to leave early. Other networks in the country could get the iPhone as early as the fall.

By Electronista Staff