AT&T expands 4G in Twin cities metro

AT&T has ramped up the speed of its wireless data network throughout much of the Twin Cities.

The company says the new service should deliver download speeds of at least 5-12 megabits per second. "The best analogy is to think of a water hose. The larger that hose the more water you can put down it, and more data and the faster it flows," said Hardmon Williams, AT&T's vice president for Minnesota.

To get the speedier Internet experience, subscribers must have a phone or tablet computer that is compatible with AT&T's "4G LTE" technology.

AT&T currently sells about a dozen phones and several tablet computers that are LTE compatible.

"Consumers are moving from a fixed data consumption model to a mobile data consumption model," said Williams. "So, you need a mobile data platform that approximates the speed they have in their house. And this absolutely does that.

For now, AT&T's LTE footprint stretches from St. Francis in the north metro to Burnsville in the south, and from Minnetonka in the west to Woodbury in the east.

AT&T competitor Verizon said its LTE service --launched two years ago -- covers most of Minnesota and delivers speeds in line with those provided by AT&T.