AT&T Expanding Wireless Coverage in North Carolina; Investing More Than $78 Million This Year in the State's Wireless Network

Adding New Cell Sites in 2007; Investment in Wireless Network During the

Past Three Years Tops $530 Million

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. ( T),
 the nation's largest wireless carrier, has announced a planned investment
 of more than $78 million in the North Carolina wireless network in 2007.
 The planned investment includes adding new cell sites and expanding
 coverage across the state.
     This will bring AT&T's three-year investment to more than $530 million.
 "We are accelerating the changes that our customers see and experience in
 North Carolina, and that's as exciting for the company as it is for
 customers and employees," said Alison Hall, AT&T's vice president/general
 manager for wireless operations in the Carolinas.
     The planned enhancements come on the heels of 110 new cell sites built
 in the state in 2006, as well as the deployment of blazing-fast
 third-generation (3G) wireless capabilities in the Charlotte, Raleigh and
 Greensboro areas.
     "We are enthusiastic about the opportunities to invest here and to
 bring advanced services to our customers," said Cynthia Marshall,
 president, AT&T North Carolina. "North Carolina's leaders have long been
 committed to a public policy climate that encourages investment. A good
 example is the legislation passed last month by the General Assembly. That
 legislation streamlines the process for locating wireless facilities and
 enables us to put this investment to work faster for consumers."
     Areas in which AT&T will add additional cell sites in 2007 and enhance
 wireless coverage include:
     -- South of Charlotte, in both Mecklenburg and Union counties.
     -- In the UNCC (University of North Carolina - Charlotte) area.
     -- The residential areas north of Burlington.
     -- Throughout Greensboro.
     -- Along Highway 52 north of Winston-Salem.
     -- Along Interstate 40 between Winston-Salem and Statesville.
     -- In residential areas southwest of Winston-Salem (Clemmons).
     -- Along I-85 in the Lexington area.
     -- Along I-77 near Elkin.
     -- Along I-40 from Hickory to Morganton.
     -- For Bessemer City area.
     -- The Lake Wylie area.
     -- Throughout Fayetteville.
     -- In eastern Southern Pines.
     -- Along U.S. Highway 401 east of Raeford.
     -- In northern portions of Goldsboro.
     -- The Kinston area, near Vernon Park Mall.
     -- On Camp Lejeune near Wallace Creek area.
     -- On Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station.
     An important addition to AT&T's wireless network was the deployment of
 3G wireless capabilities last year. Customers in Raleigh, Charlotte and
 Greensboro with 3G handsets can now quickly access feature-rich wireless
 content, including videos, downloads, pictures and the latest music,
 entertainment, news and weather programming, through MEdia Net, the
 company's mobile Internet portal. Mobile 3G customers can access DSL-type
 speeds for their laptops, with the ability to access the Internet and work
 with e-mail from anywhere within the AT&T 3G network.
     "The versatility of our network is unsurpassed," said Dave Cundiff,
 network executive director for the Carolinas. "Since our network is based
 on the GSM standard, if customers leave our 3G service footprint, they will
 automatically convert to our EDGE network -- the largest high speed data
 network in the country. With other services, customers could lose their
 access until they re-enter a comparable network."
     North Carolina customers can take their devices with them when they
 travel abroad and can benefit from worldwide access provided by the GSM
 standard. GSM users 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.
     AT&T diligently monitors the quality and coverage of its network. In
 addition to third-party vendors that assess the company's network
 performance, AT&T network engineers constantly monitor the network and
 drive thousands of miles across North Carolina each year to ensure that the
 network is operating at peak efficiency.
     Looking forward, these enhancements reinforce AT&T's commitment to
 delivering a new era of communications, where customers will seamlessly
 access information anytime, anywhere and from any device.
     "Through our ability to combine wireless and wireline networks, AT&T is
 accelerating the convergence of new voice, data and video services that
 will lead the industry's shift to next-generation, IP-based technologies,"
 Hall said. "IP is the new foundation of our business and enables us to give
 consumers and businesses what they are demanding -- 24/7 access to any
 content or application on any device, wired or wireless.
     "The bottom line is that AT&T is the premier wireless company in the
 country," Hall said. "We're making great progress with our current network
 strategy, and the future promises to be very exciting for North Carolina."
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     Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
     Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking
 statements and financial estimates that are subject to risks and
 uncertainties, and actual results might 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 and revise statements contained in this document based on new
 information or otherwise.
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SOURCE AT&T Inc.