Despite the fact that AT&T's 4G LTE coverage has yet to officially go live in New York City, some customers have been able to hop on the network early during its testing phase that's been happening over the past week. It looks like everyone will get a chance to ride AT&T's LTE airwaves soon, though, as CFO John Stephens revealed today that the New York City LTE network will officially go live this month. Stephens added that AT&T plans to "turn up additional 4G LTE markets" during December, but he didn't specify which markets those may be. 

It was around a month ago that AT&T said that LTE would be arriving in New York City "soon," so today's news doesn't come as a total surprise, but we're still glad to hear it considering how wildly the definition of the word "soon" can differ from person to person. Although the exact launch date of the NYC LTE network remains a mystery, the fact that there are only 24 days left in December means that AT&T users in the city won't be waiting much longer before cruising along at LTE speeds.

AT&T Expects Record Smartphone Sales in 4Q

UBS Media & Communications Conference 2011

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--John Stephens, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, today announced that AT&T* is on track to break its single-quarter record for smartphone sales.

Speaking at the UBS 39th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference in New York, Stephens said that AT&T sold about 6 million smartphones in the first two months of the fourth quarter. Because December is traditionally one of the strongest sales months, AT&T now expects to break the previous single-quarter smartphone record of 6.1 million.

AT&T’s strong smartphone sales in part reflect a higher number of handset upgrades from customers who were waiting for the launch of a new iPhone. AT&T previously announced that it activated more than 1 million iPhone 4S’ in the first five days the device was available. AT&T said iPhone 4S sales remain strong. Only on AT&T’s network can iPhone 4S users download three times faster and talk and surf at the same time.

Stephens also said today that AT&T will turn up additional 4G LTE markets, including New York City, this month, and expects to cover 70 million people with its LTE network by year-end 2011, consistent with its previously announced plans.

The webcast of Stephens’ presentation will be available for replay on the AT&T Investor Relations website until Dec. 30, 2011.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T ¦DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

Via Phone Scoop