AT&T Announces Wholesale VoIP Service Expansion

BOSTON, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At the Fall VON 2007 conference, AT&T Inc. today announced the expanded availability of AT&T Voice Over IP Connect Service (AVOICS). AVOICS is the flagship wholesale Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) offer for U.S. service providers that want IP-based connectivity to AT&T's global IP network for long distance call termination. For more than 10 years, AT&T has provided wholesale VoIP solutions, which address the U.S. domestic and international termination needs of service providers with a variety of connectivity options.

AVOICS provides unbranded and unbundled transport over the AT&T network, as well as termination of international and U.S. domestic traffic. Customers connect to the service via AT&T's Managed Internet Service (MIS)/Multiprotocol Label Switching-Private Network Transport (MPLS-PNT) service, which provides class-of-service voice quality, key security elements and advanced network reliability. AVOICS is highly scalable and accepts U.S.-originated domestic outbound (1+) calls and international outbound (011+) calls by using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling.

AT&T has expanded the scale and scope of its wholesale VoIP services, and is now offering AVOICS to customers that want the service with T1, T3 and OCX connectivity as well as meeting a market demand for a customer managed model. Initially introduced with limited availability, AVOICS is now available to all of AT&T's U.S.-based wholesale customers. The expansion of AVOICS specifically includes:

-- Increased capacity in the VoIP network infrastructure to meet customer traffic demand -- Increased connectivity from T1 to T3 ... all the way to OC48 -- Moving from an AT&T Managed Router Model to a Customer Managed Router Model to monitor the circuit -- Native and non-native IP traffic on the same circuit with unique IP signaling addresses

"AT&T continues to be a significant global player in wholesale VoIP and is enhancing its portfolio to continually meet evolving customer needs," said Cindy Whelan, senior analyst, Business Network Services; Wholesale Services for Current Analysis Inc. "AT&T's experts work closely with customers to customize converged solutions that support their unique VoIP requirements."

AT&T has had more than a decade of wholesale VoIP success already in large part through its pioneer offer, Global Hubbing IP Access (GHIA), which will continue to play a key role in providing service to operators that carry substantial volumes of international traffic. With GHIA, customers send their VoIP traffic to the AT&T network for VoIP termination. If no VoIP termination is available, a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) conversion is made to cost-effectively deliver calls over AT&T's highly reliable and secure network. AT&T also offers AT&T IP Toll-Free service to wholesale customers for use in their own large call centers, supporting their evolution to the contact center of the future.

"As a world leader in voice and IP networking, AT&T is helping our wholesale customers evolve to the next generation of converged communications through our suite of VoIP services," said Sherry Charles, vice president, Wholesale Segment Marketing, AT&T Operations Inc. "We recognize that our customers need to support both native IP and TDM capabilities. The breadth of VoIP offerings that we supply enable service providers to cost-effectively broaden their footprint and enhance their bandwidth through our robust MPLS-based network with the proven reliability and security that they expect from a global networking leader."

AT&T's suite of wholesale VoIP services connects customers to one of the world's most advanced, secure and powerful global IP backbone networks, lessening the chance for disruption or delays. AT&T's VoIP customers are confident selling services that ride on AT&T's highly reliable network.

As a global leader, AT&T delivers a full portfolio of end-to-end reliable and highly secure network, voice, data and IP solutions to the six wholesale industry segments that it serves: carriers, wireless operators, cable providers, systems integrators, Internet service providers and content providers. AT&T is one of the largest wholesale transport and communications service providers in the world -- maintaining connections to more than 400 carriers in more than 220 countries and territories. AT&T brings value to wholesale customers through its global networking, industry-leading portfolio and vertical expertise.

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About AT&T

AT&T Inc. 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 http://www.att.com/.

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