FRANKFURT, Germany, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineers and scientists at high-tech company SCHOTT AG are using AT&T's* blazing fast network to work with customers and colleagues around the world. 

SCHOTT creates precision-designed glass components and appliances that improve how people live and work. The company has a global presence so it's vital for SCHOTT to stay connected around the world. AT&T has extended the reach and scope of SCHOTT's global networking services in a three-year, $8 million agreement.  

SCHOTT needs to be able to send large files such as research documents, images and videos quickly – and securely – around the globe.

Large files drain bandwidth and take a long time to transfer, especially to more than one location. SCHOTT's 16,000 employees span 35 countries. This includes its headquarters in Mainz, Germany, a development center in Duryea, Pa., USA, and offices in Asia, North America and Europe. 

"The network is a critical tool for SCHOTT. We are a German company but more than 70 percent of our sales are made outside Germany.  It is vital to have a reliable and highly secure network that reaches almost anywhere in the world," said Andreas Beeres, Vice President Corporate Information Technology, SCHOTT.  "AT&T's rock solid IP platform connects our designers, engineers and scientists at our global headquarters, production plants and data centers.  This means they can share information almost instantly with colleagues, customers and partners around the world."

AT&T has boosted SCHOTT's communications network in key locations in Germany. AT&T is providing an application-sensitive, high-speed managed Ethernet LAN to connect production plants, data centers and corporate offices.

AT&T Connect®, part of the AT&T Unified Communications portfolio, is a web-based conferencing tool. It will help almost 1,000 SCHOTT employees connect with customers around the world.  They can hear and see each other while sharing files and documents online. 

SCHOTT also needs a network that can easily integrate new businesses, like one it recently bought in Japan. 

"This has been a fantastic opportunity to broaden and deepen our relationship with SCHOTT. AT&T, like SCHOTT, is focused on creating innovative technology for our customers," said Joachim Kathmann, Vice President, Germany and Central Europe, AT&T. "By understanding SCHOTT's business we've been able to give them the network and applications around the world they need."

*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 SCHOTT

The core competences of SCHOTT Technical Glass Solutions (TGS) lie in developing, manufacturing and processing high-strength, extremely heat resistant special-purpose glasses. The product range includes floated and rolled borosilicate glasses for a variety of different fields that range from fire protection and optics to medical technology and photovoltaics, but also aluminosilicate glasses for new markets in the electronics industry and transportation technology. Leading product brands of SCHOTT Technical Glass Solutions include BOROFLOAT®, PYRAN®, NEXTERION® and Xensation® Cover.

SCHOTT is an international technology group with 130 years of experience in the areas of specialty glasses and materials and advanced technologies. SCHOTT ranks number one in the world with many of its products. Its core markets are the household appliance, pharmaceutical, electronics, optics and transportation industries. The company is strongly committed to contributing to its customers' success and making SCHOTT an important part of people's lives with high-quality products and intelligent solutions. SCHOTT is committed to managing its business in a sustainable manner and supporting its employees, society and the environment. The SCHOTT Group maintains close proximity to its customers with manufacturing and sales units in 35 countries. Its workforce of 15,400 employees generated worldwide sales of 1.84 billion euros for the 2012/2013 fiscal year. SCHOTT AG, with its headquarters in Mainz (Germany) is owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.

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 most reliable national 4G LTE network in the United States, 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.

Around the world, AT&T has facilities in more than 50 countries and serves multinational companies on six continents. It provides IP-based communication services available to customers in over 180 countries, which represent more than 99 percent of the world's economy.

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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Reliability claim based on data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. 4G LTE availability varies.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.