DALLAS, April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* has blocked its billionth unwanted robocall using a new program that detects violators through network data analysis.

The AT&T fraud management team and AT&T big data scientists created the system. It examines more than 1.5 billion calls each day for patterns that indicate robocallers. It then drills down on suspicious activity that may be illegal or forbidden. One example is multiple short-duration calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call list.

AT&T staff examines a preliminary list of suspected robocallers daily. They conduct further research to avoid suspending legitimate automated calls, such as school districts or others who send large volumes of recorded messages.

AT&T is blocking robocalls in cases where our business contracts allow us to block impermissible traffic. The FCC recently proposed new rules to give carriers even more flexibility to "target and eliminate unlawful robocalls." These new rules could allow carriers to stop literally billions more unwanted calls from reaching consumers.

In recent weeks, the AT&T program has been averaging 12 million blocked calls per weekday.

"Our data science team took on a challenge to analyze and address the problem. We knew the winners would be our customers," said Jenifer Robertson, senior vice president for technology strategy, AT&T.

The analytics-based blocking program works against those who use the AT&T network to send robocalls. It joins other AT&T efforts that help protect people from receiving unwanted calls.

• AT&T Call Protect is a free service announced in December. It automatically blocks fraud calls and gives screen alerts for suspected incoming spam calls. It works for eligible AT&T wireless customers with HD Voice.
• Our website att.com/fraud has a form where customers can report unwanted calls and texts to help us block future calls.

The FCC also provides resources for consumers at fcc.gov/unwanted-calls.

*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) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business, mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation's best data network* and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.** We're one of the world's largest providers of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart solutions. 

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© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

^*Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q3+Q4 2016 across 121 markets.

^**Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; and voice roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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