AT&T Customers Get More Mobile Broadband Inside the Smithsonian Museums

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T* today announced the activation of indoor third generation (3G) wireless broadband network systems in nine of the Smithsonian Institution's most heavily trafficked museums in the District. Located on the National Mall, the Smithsonian is the world's largest museum and research complex and received more than 30 million visitors last year.

AT&T customers can now talk and simultaneously search the web while visiting the National Museum of Natural History, the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of African Art, the Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the National Museum of American History, the Ripley Center (International Gallery)   , and the National Air and Space Museum. AT&T is one of four wireless service providers at the Smithsonian museums.

"Demand for wireless bandwidth while on the go is growing, whether it's for sharing video and photos with friends, checking the latest scores, or listening to music on a mobile device," said Rob Forsyth, vice president and general manager for AT&T in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and northern Virginia. "With this expansion in nine Smithsonian museums, our customers can continue to ride the leading edge of mobile broadband with emerging devices and thousands of mobile applications." 

This Washington, D.C.,  investment complements AT&T's recent investment to boost 3G network capacity by 80 percent on the National Mall, last September's 850 MHz spectrum deployment in the 319 square miles within  the Beltway and nearby areas – improving in-building coverage, and October's 3G expansion to Metro's 20 busiest underground stations. Also of late, AT&T activated indoor 3G network systems in 11 high-profile hotels in the greater Washington, D.C., area, expanding on its 2008 in-building investment in popular hotels like the Gaylord National Resort,  Hilton Washington, and the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

The network extension is part of AT&T's ongoing efforts to drive innovation and investment to deliver the benefits of smartphones and mobile broadband for customers. More smartphone customers have chosen AT&T over any other U.S. competitor, and AT&T is committed to driving continual enhancement of network capabilities to meet these customers' ever-growing mobile broadband needs.

AT&T recently completed a software upgrade at 3G cell sites nationwide that prepares the nation's fastest 3G network for even faster speeds. The deployment of High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is the first of multiple initiatives in AT&T's network enhancement strategy designed to provide customers with an enhanced mobile broadband experience, both today and well into the future.  Faster 3G speeds are scheduled to become available in 2010 and 2011 on a market by market basis as AT&T combines the new technology with our second initiative to dramatically increase the number of high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic connections, adding capacity from cell sites to the AT&T backbone network.

AT&T's 3G mobile broadband network is based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies that includes GSM and UMTS, the most open and widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T offers 3G data roaming in more than 115 countries, as well as voice calling in more than 220 countries.

More information about AT&T's 3G coverage in the Washington, D.C., area or anywhere in the United States may be found at http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/, which indicates quality of coverage based upon a street address, intersection, ZIP code, or even a landmark.

For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit www.att.com/networknews.

*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. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation's fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation's leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies. 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.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.