AT&T is planning to deploy an advanced LTE network in 2013, according to a report.
The Dallas-based company announced its plans at a time when it is lagging behind rival Verizon Wireless in the race to build a 4G LTE or Long Term Evolution network.
Speaking at the LTE North America conference in Dallas, AT&T Labs President and CEO Krish Prabhu said the company will launch LTE-Advanced network technology in 2013, reported Fierce Wireless, which confirmed the plans with an AT&T spokesperson who declined to elaborate on the nature or timing of the deployment.
LTE-Advanced is considered a substantial upgrade of LTE technology, the report said.
AT&T's fourth-generation LTE service is available in nine markets today, and the nation's second-largest wireless operator plans to launch 4G LTE service in six more markets by year's end.
Last month, AT&T's bigger competitor Verizon Wireless announced that its LTE service would be available in 178 markets by Nov. 17 -- less than one year after launching the network.
