Not wanting Pennsylvania to be the next reception nightmare, an AT&T rep has contacted me with some promising 2010 numbers:

In 2010, AT&T plans the following enhancements to its wireless network:

– Pennsylvania: adding more than 60 cell sites, upgrading nearly 400 to 3G technology.
– New Jersey: adding nearly 10 cell sites, upgrading more than 5 to 3G technology.
– Delaware: adding of nearly half a dozen cell sites.
– AT&T employees more than 3,200 employees in the Commonwealth.

This looks very promising indeed. My Blackberry on AT&T does the oddest things sometimes and I had clients in Philadelphia say having reception underground on the train is cool, but, having clear reception at home would be awesome.

Press release, after the break.

Via email:

AT&T INVESTMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA NETWORK AIMED AT ENHANCING MOBILE BROADBAND SERVICE ACROSS THE STATE

Plans Call for Addition of More Than 60 New Cell Sites and the Expansion of Backhaul to Increase Wireless Network Capacity

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 4, 2010 — AT&T* today unveiled its Pennsylvania wireless network investment plans for 2010, which include the addition of more than 60 new cell sites statewide, and the upgrade of nearly 400 additional cell sites to 3G wireless broadband throughout the Commonwealth.

Today’s announcement builds on AT&T’s 2009 wireless investment, during which it added more than 60 new cell sites in Pennsylvania and upgraded more than 175 existing sites to 3G. From 2007 through 2009, AT&T’s total capital investment in its Pennsylvania wireless and wireline networks was more than $725 million.

“Now more than ever, Pennsylvanians rely on mobile broadband connectivity to give them a gateway to get online for work, learning, recreation and much more,” said Rich Hudic, president and CEO of the Team Pennsylvania Foundation, a statewide organization that works to improve Pennsylvania’s competitiveness and economic prosperity. “AT&T’s network expansion is just one example of how the private sector helps support Pennsylvania’s ability to compete regionally, nationally and internationally.”

J. Michael Schweder, president, AT&T Pennsylvania said AT&T’s private investments will help drive growth and innovation in Pennsylvania.

“During the past several years, we’ve made substantial private investments to provide our customers – and our Commonwealth – with access to the kind of technology that will stimulate economic growth, inspire innovation and create jobs,” Schweder said. “We remain committed to working with our state and local leaders to help create a positive economic environment that provides opportunities for companies to continue to invest aggressively in Pennsylvania.”

Internet usage growth has brought tremendous benefits for consumers, but requires tremendous investments in infrastructure. This significant investment in infrastructure and jobs is possible due to policy that enables companies to compete and offer the innovative services that consumers are increasingly demanding. AT&T has been working with policy makers to support a national broadband plan that enables broadband adoption and ensures broadband access to every American by 2014.

Wireless data traffic on the AT&T network has grown more than 5,000 percent over the past three years, largely attributed to today’s advanced smartphones that are generating dramatically increasing volumes of network traffic. In fact, roughly 40 percent of AT&T’s postpaid customer base uses a smartphone today, representing twice the number of smartphone customers than any other U.S. provider.

“We’re seeing advanced smartphones driving up to 10 times the amount of usage of other devices on average,” said Dan Lafond, vice president and general manager for AT&T in the central and eastern Pennsylvania. “Despite these unprecedented increases in wireless data traffic, AT&T’s network investments and upgrades have enabled us to continue to deliver the nation’s fastest 3G network.”

AT&T recently completed a software upgrade at 3G cell sites nationwide that prepares the nation’s fastest 3G network for even faster speeds. The deployment of High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is the first of multiple initiatives in AT&T’s network enhancement strategy designed to provide customers with an enhanced mobile broadband experience, both today and well into the future.

Faster 3G speeds are scheduled to become available this year and in 2011 as AT&T combines the new technology with our second initiative to dramatically increase the number of high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic connections, adding capacity from cell sites to the AT&T backbone network.

The backhaul upgrades are also a key step in the evolution toward next-generation LTE mobile broadband technology. AT&T is designing its new backhaul deployments to accommodate both faster 3G and future LTE deployments. AT&T currently plans to begin trials of LTE technology this year, and to begin LTE deployment in 2011, matching industry time lines for broader availability of compelling devices and supporting network equipment.

AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network is based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies that includes GSM and UMTS, the most open and widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T offers 3G data roaming in more than 115 countries, as well as voice calling in more than 220 countries. The technology also provides customers the ability to talk and surf the Internet at the same time.

AT&T is also an industry leader in Wi-Fi with the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, which complements its wired broadband and wireless 3G networks, offering Wi-Fi connectivity in more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots — including retail stores and restaurants from coast-to-coast. A full list of AT&T Wi-Fi locations is available at www.attwifi.com.

AT&T operates more than 90 AT&T-owned retail locations in Pennsylvania. AT&T’s products and services are also available at a number of other authorized dealers and national retail locations.

For more information about AT&T’s wireless coverage in Pennsylvania, or anywhere in the United States, consumers can go tohttp://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/. The online tool can measure the quality of coverage based on a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.