The local investment is part of the wireless company's estimated $6 billion national network capital expenditure program during 2006.

Last year, AT&T's wireless unit in Hawai'i built 11 new cell sites, expanded coverage and enhanced network capacity. The company has averaged more than one new cell site every month over the past two years for a total of 28 new sites on the island.

As a result, AT&T's ALLOVER( network* — the largest digital voice and data network — has grown bigger and better in Hawai'i.

Areas where a majority of the service improvements took place include 17 new sites on Oahu, seven sites on the Big Island of Hawai'i, four new sites in Maui County including the areas of Hana, Makawao, and Manele Bay on Lanai.

"The past two years were unprecedented — investing almost $30 million to deliver a quality and reliable wireless experience to our customers here," said Tammi Terrell, vice president and general manager for the company's SD/LV/HI markets. "Our wireless network is world-class and second to none. The major expansion we completed was an extraordinary achievement that enables us to provide exceptional service for our customers today and into the future."

Over the last two years, AT&T has spent more than $13.5 billion nationally in an aggressive program to upgrade and expand wireless service and now gives customers access to some 45,000 cell sites — more than any other wireless carrier in the country.