AT&T Launches 3G Wireless Broadband Network throughout Washington
Company to Deliver Supercharged Mobile Access to Interactive Content and Mobile Applications in Five Washington Markets
Seattle, Washington, January 11, 2008
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has announced a significant enhancement in how, when and where people access the Internet, use e-mail or view a variety of entertainment services by offering the 3G wireless broadband service in five Washington markets: Bellingham, Marysville, Mount Vernon, Olympia and Spokane.
AT&T's third-generation (3G) wireless broadband network enables consumers and businesses to enjoy the benefits of broadband speeds in the Pacific Northwest. Customers can use their 3G handsets to quickly access feature-rich wireless content, including videos, games, pictures and the latest music, entertainment, news and weather, through MEdia Net, the company's mobile Internet portal. With the 3G network, customers also can view razor-sharp clips through CV, an on-demand streaming video service that offers a comprehensive library of mobile video content from some of the top media brands.
The AT&T 3G network also offers AT&T LaptopConnect mobile customers DSL-like speeds for their laptops, with the ability to access the Internet, their company's intranet or corporate e-mail from anywhere within the 3G network. The combination of AT&T's 3G network and LaptopConnect - which simply requires a LaptopConnect card or a laptop with embedded 3G capability, software and an AT&T data plan - is ideal for customers who want to increase business productivity and need to quickly download large files, run corporate applications or access the Internet.
"With the launch of our 3G network in Washington, AT&T wireless customers will benefit from the powerful combination of a high speed network and a portfolio of next-generation 3G devices that quickly deliver interactive content and applications," said Mike Maxwell, vice president and general manager for AT&T's wireless operations in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. "The new 3G wireless broadband network is an example of AT&T's commitment to ensuring that customers have access to next-generation technology and services - whether it is to communicate more efficiently with friends, family and work or to give them access to a host of entertainment services."
AT&T 3G customers can access the wireless broadband network in 255 U.S. major metropolitan areas, including those in Bellingham, Marysville, Mount Vernon, Olympia and Spokane. AT&T will also continue to expand its 3G service to additional markets throughout 2008. The 3G network is also available in almost every major country. Over the past three years, AT&T has invested more than $18 billion to build and support the scope and capability of its wireless network and to add 3G markets. This initiative ensures quality of service and empowers customers with fast access from their handsets and mobile devices. In Washington, AT&T continues to invest in its wireless network; AT&T spent more than $55 million last year to increase wireless coverage throughout the state.
Benefits of the AT&T 3G Network
AT&T's 3G network uses HSDPA/UMTS (High Speed Downlink Packet Access/Universal Mobile Telephone System) technology. The company's 3G network is also based on the GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications) standard, the most widely used technology in the world. More than 2.7 billion people use wireless devices powered by GSM - representing more than 90 percent of the world's wireless users.
Customers who use a GSM phone, such as those offered by AT&T, can take their device with them when they travel abroad and can benefit from worldwide access through the GSM standard. AT&T subscribers have the ability to browse the Web and perform other data functions in more than 135 countries, and they can make a phone call in more than 190 countries and territories.
The 3G network also provides the simultaneous delivery of voice and data - a capability not offered by all wireless providers. One example of a 3G service is Video Share, which enables users to share live video over wireless phones while carrying on a voice call - providing a new way to share personal moments and key events beyond the capabilities of voice and text. Users can allow others to "see what I see, when I see it."
Among several other benefits, the simultaneous data and voice capability allows customers to participate on a conference call from their 3G device while they download a presentation or access the Internet.
Another benefit of GSM technology is that customers who leave AT&T's growing 3G service footprint automatically convert to the AT&T EDGE network without dropping the call or data connection. The EDGE network is the largest high speed wireless data network in the country, with availability in more than 13,000 cities and towns and in areas along 40,000 miles of highway. EDGE technology is also available in more than 120 countries and is available to AT&T customers who are traveling internationally.
"AT&T's 3G network delivers flexible, high-quality wireless access," Maxwell said. "Customers can switch between voice and data and easily access the information that they want - whether they are at home, going out of state or traveling overseas.
"Network enhancements and new technologies - such as 3G - that we are delivering today not only provide immediate benefits for our customers but open the door to other unique, bandwidth-intensive entertainment services of the future," said Maxwell.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com.
