AT&T’s Ralph De La Vega at D9

Trying to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion. Looking to fend off new competition with Verizon over the iPhone. The looming spectrum crunch and the shift away from unlimited data pricing. Too bad there is nothing to talk to AT&T executive Ralph de la Vega about.

AT&T's data network won't be on par with Verizon Wireless' until 2013 or 2014, de la Vega said. AT&T has yet to launch its faster fourth-generation cellular technology but has plans to do so in the second half of this year. The first cities to get the 4G LTE service will be Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The launch will come at least seven months after Verizon Wireless', which began rolling out in December. De la Vega says the proposed merger will improve the quality of AT&T's network because it will be able to use T-Mobile's cell sites. Major cities, such as New York and San Francisco, should see the most significant benefits, he said. Building a new cell site in San Francisco takes two to three times longer than in other cities, he said.