Local Wireless Network Upgrade Extends Access to Advanced Products, Services and Applications

TUPELO, Miss., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T* today announced the availability of its third generation (3G) mobile broadband network in Tupelo, opening the door to a new era of mobile services, devices and feature-rich audio and video content for customers in the area. A total of 16 cell sites are involved in the upgrade.

The network extension is part of AT&T's ongoing efforts to drive innovation and investment to deliver the benefits of smartphones and mobile broadband for customers. More smartphone customers have chosen AT&T over any other U.S. competitor, and AT&T is committed to driving continual enhancement of network capabilities to meet these customers' ever-growing mobile broadband needs.

"On behalf of our community, I applaud AT&T for making this significant upgrade to the Tupelo area. This investment shows that competition and choice brings innovation," said Rep. Steve Holland (D-Tupelo).

"AT&T's wireless investment in Lee County will bring new and advanced connectivity to Mississippians and this is great news," said Rep. Brian Aldridge (R-Tupelo). "A strong telecommunications infrastructure is key to the economic vitality of our community."

Debbie Brangenberg, Director, Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association, credits Aldridge and Holland for helping AT&T pave the way for this level of investment. "As a result of their leadership, the lives of everyday individuals and families will be enhanced and our Tupelo area businesses will stay competitive," Brangenberg noted.

AT&T matches its network investment with unsurpassed choice in the range of devices, services and applications compatible with its 3G network - the nation's fastest, according to independent testing. AT&T offers a wide variety of devices from more than a dozen manufacturers, including handsets that are compatible with six different operating systems and five different e-mail applications. Our Media Mall 2.0 offers more than 90,000 content options, and customers can download additional applications over the Internet. Additionally, AT&T supports a community of more than 20,000 application developers via its devCentral portal.

"Demand for wireless bandwidth has grown fast in Mississippi," said Mayo Flynt, President, AT&T Mississippi. "With this expansion, our customers can continue to ride the leading edge of mobile broadband with emerging devices and thousands of mobile applications."

Recently, AT&T announced plans to further upgrade its 3G network nationwide with HSPA 7.2 technology to deliver considerably faster mobile broadband speeds. The upgrades are planned to begin in the fourth quarter, with completion expected in 2011. Supporting this initiative is AT&T's ongoing deployment of additional backhaul capacity to cell sites, which will support today's unprecedented growth in mobile data traffic as well as the future demands of next-generation networks.

AT&T's 3G mobile broadband network is based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies that includes GSM and UMTS, the most open and widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T's 3G network is available in more than 350 major metropolitan areas, including recent launches in Philadelphia, Picayune and Natchez. AT&T also offers 3G data roaming in more than 100 countries, as well as voice calling in more than 215 countries.

For more information about AT&T's 3G coverage in Mississippi or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/. The online tool can measure the quality of coverage based on a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.

For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit www.att.com/networknews.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

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. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T |DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies.

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. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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