AT&T Adding Capacity to Newport Beach Cell Sites

AT&T is upgrading existing cell sites around Newport Beach to keep up with the ever-growing demand for wireless service.

So far, capacity-increasing equipment has been added to six sites in the city—akin to adding lanes to a freeway, a PR person working with AT&T said—and there are plans to upgrade four more before the year is out, according to a press release. The work is part of $450 million in improvements to AT&T's networks in Orange and Los Angeles counties, the release said.

“We are investing in our Newport Beach network to help AT&T customers conduct business faster and more efficiently as well as to take advantage of the numerous capabilities of their smartphones and tablets,” Richard Porras, AT&T Senior Vice President, said in the release, adding that wireless traffic has increased 4,000 percent in four years.