AT&T has expanded its fixed wireless internet service for rural and underserved locations to residential and small business customers in nine new states.
The latest states where the service, called Fixed Wireless Internet, is available are: Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin.
AT&T started the rollout in Georgia back in April, and expanded accessibility to eight more states in June.
More than 160,000 locations now have access to the service across 18 states. AT&T said the rollout is part of its FCC Connect America Fund commitment to serve more than 400,000 locations by the end of this year. The carrier has also pledged to expand that figure to more than 1.1 million locations by 2020.
“Closing the connectivity gap is a top priority for us,” Cheryl Choy, vice president of wired voice and internet products at AT&T, commented in a statement. “Access to fast and reliable internet is a game changer in today’s world. This service will bring countless opportunities for more customers in underserved rural locations.”
The Fixed Wireless Internet service offers download speeds of at least 10 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 1 Mbps.
AT&T said a fixed antenna located on a customers’ homes or businesses delivers connection from a wireless tower.
The move comes just as regional telecom operator C Spire announced plans to launch its own fixed wireless services in eight Mississippi markets.