LAS VEGAS -- AT&T Inc. has announced plans for an investment of more than $40 million in the company’s Nevada network to expand wireless coverage in 2008.

The company expects to add new cell sites to the network in Las Vegas this year.

Two of the newest cell sites that AT&T has deployed in Las Vegas include one at East Flamingo Road and Boulder Highway and another at South Las Vegas Boulevard and East Hacienda Avenue.

This year’s investment is expected to bring AT&T’s wireless network investment in Nevada to $160 million since 2006.

“High-quality coverage and the ability to communicate wherever you are and however you want — those are our goals,” Steve Menard, director of Sales for AT&T’s wireless operations in Las Vegas, said in a news release. “Customers rely on us for exceptional service, and this investment is a testament that being the best communications and entertainment company for our customers is paramount.”

AT&T has delivered changes in Nevada through the introduction of a third-generation wireless broadband network.

AT&T’s 3G wireless network makes it possible for customers to quickly access feature-rich wireless content — videos, games, pictures and the latest music, entertainment, news and weather — on their 3G handsets through MEdia™ Net, the company’s mobile Internet portal. AT&T’s 3G customers also can take advantage of Video Share, a first-of-its-kind technology in the U.S. that allows users to share live video during a wireless call.

AT&T’s 3G network also offers AT&T LaptopConnect mobile customers faster speeds for their laptops, with the ability to send and receive large files or access the Internet, their company’s intranet or corporate e-mail from anywhere within the 3G network.

“We’re committed to providing the best service in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada," said Menard in a news release. "The investments by AT&T will have a positive impact at both the state and community levels, in addition to keeping our customers connected."

AT&T monitors the quality and coverage of its wireless network. Third-party vendors assess the company’s network performance, and AT&T network engineers monitor the network and ensure that the network is operating at peak efficiency.

AT&T’s wireless network is based on Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) communications technology, the most open and widely used network platform in the world. The company is already establishing a path to develop a 4G network.

AT&T plans to roll out the nation’s first High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) network by midyear, which will provide even faster capabilities to HSUPA-enabled laptop users and allow them to send large files and take advantage of the latest interactive Internet and business applications.