AT&T coverage expands in Evans County

More parts of rural Georgia are now able to connect to the internet. The service, which targets rural and underserved areas, is available now though AT&T who said they have had calls from interested customers about signing up since the project was announced. Georgia is one of the first states to get it and Evans County is one of the first counties in Georgia. Local and state leaders, including Senator Jack Hill and State Representative Bill Werkheiser, joined AT&T on July 11 to cut the ribbon on the company’s new Fixed Wireless Internet service at the cell tower site located on Red Clay Rd in Claxton.

AT&T Southeast Vice President for Public Affairs Daniel Hayes said their goal is to serve 67,000 locations in Georgia by 2020 with this service, but they hope to have 40 percent of those connected by the end of 2017.

“We’ve seen whether it’s a wired connection, a wireless connection, a fixed connection in the home or your smartphone, folks want to carry that connectivity with them wherever they go,” Hayes said.

“Access to the internet is an important tool for advancing opportunities in communities.  It creates economic growth, helps increase community engagement and makes education accessible,” said Eric Boyer, senior vice president, Wireless and Wired Product Marketing at AT&T.  “We’re committed to utilizing available technologies to connect hard-to-reach locations.”

The minimum speed is 10 MPS upload and only requires a small box to be installed on the side of the house or commercial building. The technology is innovative and actually uses the energy from the electric field along the wires between electric poles. Repeaters are set up on top of the poles which eventually feeds the home/business.