AT&T staggers launch of next high-speed service

AT&T will soon deploy its latest generation of high-speed wireless Internet service throughout the Twin Cities.

The service has been turned on at the Twin Cities airport and a few other spots, as AT&T adjusts its network. But the wireless provider says higher speeds will be available in the entire metro area within four to six weeks. The company says the new service, called 4G LTE, should deliver speeds between 15 and 20 megabits per second.

"It uses spectrum more efficiently than other technology. So, it creates more space to carry data traffic and services, said AT&T spokesman, Alex Carey. "People will be able to do more, to download more at faster speed.

Some third-party reviews have found the AT&T service is faster than Verizon's comparable offering, at least for now. Phones and other devices must be LTE compatible to take advantage of the greater speeds.

Carey says customers will notice a difference with streaming videos, online gaming and other applications that perform best with fast connections.

"The LTE speeds coming to the Twin Cities will be on average seven times faster than current 4G speeds. It will be better quality streams on FaceTime and Skype," Carey said. "The difference will be extremely noticeable."