AT&T Launches 3G Wireless Broadband Network in Athens

ATHENS, Ga., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. today announced a change in how, when and where people access the Internet, use e-mail or view a variety of entertainment services. AT&T is now offering the 3G wireless broadband service in Athens. AT&T is also adding a new cell site in Athens this year to increase coverage and capacity near the intersection of East Whitehall Road and Milledge Avenue.

AT&T's third-generation (3G) wireless broadband network enables consumers and businesses to enjoy the benefits of broadband speeds throughout Athens. Customers can quickly access feature-rich wireless content on their 3G handsets, including videos, games, pictures and the latest music, entertainment, news and weather, through MEdia Net, the company's mobile Internet portal. Customers on the network 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 BroadbandConnect 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 BroadbandConnect -- which simply requires a laptop modem card or a laptop with embedded 3G service, software and an AT&T data plan -- is ideal for customers who want to increase business productivity and need to quickly download large files and run corporate applications.

"With the launch of our 3G network in Athens, AT&T wireless customers will benefit from the powerful combination of a superfast network and a portfolio of next-generation 3G devices that quickly deliver interactive content and applications," said Cliff Minor, vice president and general manager for AT&T's wireless operations in Georgia. "The new 3G wireless broadband network is an example of AT&T's commitment to ensure that Athens 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."

"Athens' economy is driven by ideas," said Scott Shamp, director of the New Media Institute, University of Georgia. "This town's students and business leaders need ways to connect to share those ideas and build things -- businesses, careers, community, art, music, whatever. No town in America needs high bandwidth options more than Athens."

AT&T 3G customers can access the wireless broadband network in more than 165 U.S. markets, and there are plans to continue to expand to additional markets by the end of the year. The 3G network is also available in almost every major country of the world. The company has invested more than $16 billion in the overall wireless network during the past three years to increase coverage and add 3G markets. This initiative ensures quality of service and empowers customers with fast access from their handsets and mobile devices. In Georgia, AT&T continues to invest in its wireless network and plans to invest more than $50 million this 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 billion people use wireless devices powered by GSM -- representing more than 80 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 enabled by the GSM standard. AT&T subscribers have the ability to browse the Web and perform other data functions in more than 130 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. For example, AT&T Video Share is a 3G service that 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." Earlier this summer, AT&T Video Share was launched in 3G markets nationwide.

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 available to AT&T customers traveling internationally.

"AT&T's 3G network delivers flexible, high-quality wireless access," Minor said. "Customers can switch between voice and data and easily access the information that they want -- whether they are in Athens or Atlanta, 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 unique, bandwidth-intensive entertainment services of the future," added Minor.

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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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