AT&T is testing 4G LTE in Bend

Local AT&T customers may have noticed their smartphones tapping the next-generation LTE system the past few days.

Turns out the telecommunications giant started testing its 4G LTE service Wednesday, according to company officials. But a company spokesman offered no timetable for the permanent upgrade.

In the parlance of mobile devices, experts say 4G, or fourth generation, provides network download speeds faster than the previous, or third, generation. LTE, for long-term evolution, is attached to significant advances in technology over incremental improvements.

“Preparing our network to offer 4G LTE in Bend is a direct result of a $350 million investment in our Oregon network during the last three years, and 446 network upgrades in Oregon last year,” wrote Andy Colley, AT&T spokesman for the Pacific Northwest, in an email Monday. Those upgrades include new cell sites, additional wireless and wired network capacity, and new broadband network connections, he wrote.

— Bulletin staff report