Another slew of cell sites are up and running in Orange County that improve iPhone and 3G cell reception for AT&T customers. The new sites, which come one week after 6 others in O.C. were turned on, mean better wireless coverage in those areas. So speak up with a comment below if you notice a difference.

The new sites are near these intersections:

• Dana Point: Near the intersection of Camino Del Avion and Golden Lantern St.
• Santa Ana: Near the intersection of S. Grand Ave. and McFadden Ave.
• Orange: Near the 55 Freeway and E. Katella Ave.
• Huntington Beach: Near the intersection of Bolsa Chica Street and Heil Ave.
• Anaheim: Near the intersection of Van Buren St. and La Palma Ave.

All of AT&T’s 3G cell sites have been upgraded to HSPA 7.2 software, which means faster mobile Internet if you have an HSPA device. Think 7.2 mbps!

This isn’t the next generation 4G service being tested by Verizon and Sprint in other parts of the country. This is High Speed Packet Access 7.2, sometimes called Turbo 3G. AT&T’s plans to begin testing 4G (using Long Term Evolution technology, or LTE) next year and will offer 4G service in 2011.

HSPA requires a software upgrade. This is supported by souped-up cell sites, which are being linked by fiber-optic cables for to improve speeds. But each site must be activated so it’s an ongoing project. Orange County and Los Angeles was picked as one of six markets that will get the faster Internet speeds first. AT&T won’t what chunk of our area can already use the faster speeds but the company confirmed that activation has begun  in Orange County. AT&T expects the majority of mobile traffic will utilize the new technology by the end of the year.

Earlier on AT&T and HSPA:

• O.C., L.A. among first to get AT&T’s faster mobile broadband (Sept. 2009)
• 7.2 Mbps Internet speeds coming to AT&T mobile this year (May 2009)

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