AT&T Selects Florida For National Technology Trial

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Feb. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* is proposing to select the West Delray Beach area of Florida to work to ensure that Florida customers, and ultimately consumers and businesses across the country, can benefit from the latest communications technologies.

Today, the company announced the proposed selection of the West Delray Beach area of Florida as one of two locations nationwide for a multi-year technology trial to be overseen by the Federal Communications Commission. This pilot program will shape AT&T's efforts to develop new products and processes in the West Delray Beach community, and nationally. The announcement is in response to a request by the FCC to companies to submit proposals to conduct trials where connections and services would be rolled out and offered to customers.

In greater numbers, and with greater frequency than ever before, consumers and businesses are choosing to use newer technologies and devices that enable more choices in how they connect: video, email, text, and voice. These connections not only benefit consumers, but also communities and important community institutions including schools, hospitals, police and fire stations, and businesses. Students can access education resources on the other side of the country or world; first responders can have the best real-time information going into emergency situations; businesses can reach out to and expand in new markets on the other side of the state and other side of the globe.

"This trial presents an important opportunity for Floridians to gain access to new technologies and products, while ensuring that the essential values of universal service, competition, public safety, reliability, and consumer protection are preserved," said Joe S. York, President of AT&T Florida. "Our goal is to get our customers the most powerful new technologies while maintaining the reliability they have come to expect from us." 

AT&T has invested more than $2.75 billion in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in Florida between 2011 through 2013, driving a wide range of upgrades to enhance speed, reliability, coverage and performance for residents and business customers. In the first half of 2013 alone the company added capacity upgrades to hundreds of cell sites, launched or expanded 4G LTE mobile broadband to more than 20 communities, and deployed advanced fiber-optic connections to nearly 18,450 additional business customer locations and deployed advanced wired IP broadband connections for consumers to nearly 25,050 customer locations in Florida. In 2013, AT&T filled more than 2,970 job openings in Florida to help provide customers throughout the state with the advanced products and services they expect.

In an effort to keep customers in the West Delray Beach community engaged and informed, AT&T will hold a series of community information meetings for residents and businesses to learn more about the planned trial and how they can participate. Please watch for dates, times and locations that will be announced soon for these meetings.

In addition, more information may be found at: http://ip4westdelraybeach.att.com.

* 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 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 most reliable 4G LTE 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 service with the AT&T U-verse® brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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/aboutus or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

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