As part of its continuing network investment to support growing demand for mobile devices and services, AT&T has announced the activation of a new cell site in Hazelhurst that is expected to enhance network coverage for Minocqua area residents and businesses – just in time for the summer tourist season.

The new cell site is one part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to drive innovation and extend its mobile Internet network. It is also part of the company’s ongoing investment to build the networks that will fuel economic growth and create jobs, and enable AT&T’s customers to quickly access the content, applications and services that matter most to them. AT&T invested more than $1 billion in its Wisconsin wireless and wireline networks from 2008 through 2011 with a focus on improving the company’s mobile broadband coverage and overall performance of its networks.

“More than ever before, customers look to wireless communications to stay in touch with family, friends and business colleagues,” said Dave Fine, AT&T’s vice president and general manager for Wisconsin and Illinois. “We’re working to make this possible by investing in new wireless coverage in the Minocqua area.”

“AT&T has made it a priority to invest in places like Minocqua because it is important for our customers to have access to the wireless technology they need to run their business or stay in touch with friends and family,” said Scott VanderSanden, AT&T Wisconsin president. “These network improvements in Hazelhurst are an example of our continued investment in Wisconsin’s economy.”

AT&T’s mobile network is based on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) standard, the most open and widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T offers data roaming in 200 countries, as well as voice calling in more than 225 countries.

AT&T also operates the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, with nearly 30,000 hotspots in the U.S. and provides access to nearly 225,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers get access to our entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost, and Wi-Fi usage doesn’t count against customers’ monthly wireless data plans.

For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Wisconsin or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit an AT&T Coverage Viewer. The online tool can measure the quality of coverage based on a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.

For updates on the AT&T wireless network, visit our AT&T network news page.