AT&T Street Charge Makes Charging a Phone As Easy As a Walk in the Park

BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of an ongoing effort to keep New Yorkers connected, AT&T and Bloomberg Administration officials today unveiled AT&T Street Charge. This pilot initiative provides free solar mobile charging stations in locations across all five boroughs where the public can charge their phones, tablets and other mobile devices.

AT&T Street Charge is a direct outgrowth of Superstorm Sandy when AT&T powered the City's distribution centers with commercial generators and pop-up cellular service. New Yorkers who had lost power for days or longer flocked to the centers seeking a charge and a way to communicate to the outside world. AT&T teamed up with solar technology company Goal Zero and Brooklyn-based design firm Pensa to develop the initiative and bring it to local residents.

Between now and the end of summer, AT&T will deploy approximately 25 AT&T Street Charge solar mobile charging units across the five boroughs.  Along with the two solar mobile charging units now live at Fort Greene Park, charging units are also available this week at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier I, Governor's Island, and Pier 1 at Riverside Park and Union Square Park.  

"Thanks to AT&T, more New Yorkers will have improved connectivity and access to the wireless technology that has become such an important part of our daily lives," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "After Hurricane Sandy, I asked our private sector partners to step up and help improve the resiliency of New York City. AT&T is doing just that, and we're grateful for their efforts."

"We are always looking for new and meaningful ways to improve the daily lives of New Yorkers through greater accessibility to mobile technology," said Marissa Shorenstein, New York State President, AT&T. "Two years ago, we debuted free Wi-Fi in 26 locations across New York City Parks and last year became one of the first major carriers to offer underground cellular service on 36 subway platforms. Solar mobile charging is a natural next step in AT&T's efforts to provide innovative services for New Yorkers that empower them to lead more sustainable lives.

"At NYC Parks, we're always looking for ways to get New Yorkers and visitors into the great outdoors to relax and re-charge, and this gives it a whole new meaning," said NYC Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White.  "New Yorkers enjoy some of the best parks in the country, and now, thanks to this collaboration with AT&T, Pensa and Goal Zero, they'll be able to power up their phones for free using solar power."

Visitors will find AT&T Street Charge this summer in all five boroughs:

Manhattan:

• Riverside Park, Pier I (launches 6/18)
• Union Square Park, North Plaza  (launches 6/19)
• Rumsey Playfield, Central Park Summerstage
• Hudson River Park Pier 59
• Randall's Island

Brooklyn:

• Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier I (launches 6/18)
• Fort Greene Park (launches 6/18)
• Coney Island
• Metrotech Plaza
• The Dumbo Arts Festival
• The Brooklyn Book Festival

Queens:

• Rockaway Beach
• Clearview Golf Course
• Socrates Sculpture Park

Bronx:

• Orchard Beach 

Staten Island:

• Governor's Island (launches 6/18)
• La Tourette Golf Course
• Staten Island Zoo

The public can learn where to find AT&T Street Charge by visiting www.att.com/attstreetcharge and on Twitter @attnyc #attstreetcharge.

The solar powered mobile charging stations complement Wi-Fi in the Parks, an ongoing joint initiative between AT&T, the City of New York and the New York Parks Department offering free Wi-Fi access to New Yorkers - regardless of provider.  Today marks the launch of two additional Wi-Fi enabled park sites, Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 5 and Foley Square.  As of today, 28 New York City parks locations across the five boroughs now have free AT&T Wi-Fi as part of this initiative.

"Internet access for all is the foundation of a digital city, and AT&T's technology partnership brings us another vital step closer to realizing New York City's innovative potential," said Rachel Haot, Chief Digital Officer. "Through the expansion of WiFi and the introduction of solar-powered mobile charging stations in more public spaces, we are helping to provide ubiquitous connectivity to New Yorkers everywhere. We appreciate AT&T's support in helping us to achieve another milestone in Mayor Bloomberg's Digital Roadmap for New York City."

"Today's announcement continues our goal to transform New York City's parks into hubs for connectivity for both New Yorkers and visitors," said Citywide Chief Information & Innovation Officer Rahul N. Merchant. "Whether providing a quick charge on-the-go or access to power during outages, we're helping customers stay connected while enjoying New York City's incredible public space."

The solar mobile charging units work day or night, in sun or shade. During the day, three monocrystalline solar panels collect the sun's energy to charge up powerful internal batteries. This enables AT&T Street Charge to power up phones, tablets, and other devices quickly - even when the sun isn't shining.

Joe Atkin, President and CEO of Goal Zero said that "Nearly half of all Americans own a smartphone and the amount of time we spend on handheld devices has increased dramatically. All too often, we hear the dreaded low-battery beep and it happens at the most inconvenient times. Street Charge will fix that."

Mark Prommel, Creative Director of Pensa noted that "We created Street Charge with community and public spaces in mind.  It provides an elegant, durable and powerful off the grid charging solution. Our design pays homage to the beauty of clean, renewable solar power with its solar petals extended toward the sun."

Developing sustainable solutions has long been a priority for AT&T. The company works with a variety of partners to engineer innovative answers to help address environmental and social challenges and this year CR Magazine named AT&T the top corporate citizen in America.

For a full list of dates and locations of each AT&T Street Charge unit, visit www.att.com/attstreetcharge or follow us on Twitter @ATTNYC #attstreetcharge

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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