AT&T Invests More than $800M Over 3-Year Period to Enhance Local Networks in South Carolina

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May 19, 2016, 01:30 ET

COLUMBIA, S.C., May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At AT&T¹, we've invested more than $800 million in our South Carolina wireless and wired networks during 2013-2015. These investments drive a wide range of upgrades to reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses. They also enhance critical services that support public safety and first responders.

In the major markets in the state, these investments were:

Charleston – more than $100 million in our Charleston area wireless and wired networks between 2013-2015;
Columbia – more than $200 million in our Columbia area wireless and wired networks between 2013-2015; and
Greenville – More than $110 million in our Greenville area wireless and wired networks between 2013-2015.

In 2015, AT&T made 280 wireless network upgrades in South Carolina, including new cell sites, additional network capacity, and new wireless high-speed Internet connections.

"We're committed to providing our customers fast, reliable, highly secure connectivity. We want them to be able to access the Internet at any moment, from almost any device and anywhere," said Pamela Lackey, president of AT&T-South Carolina. "Our continued investment in South Carolina brings a host of new, innovative opportunities for residents and businesses."

Notable South Carolina network enhancements in 2015 included:

Expansion of 4G LTE capacity at Frank Howard Field at Clemson Memorial Stadium;
Installation of a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in Charleston; and
Expansion of wireless HD voice service in numerous areas, including Florence, Orangeburg, Charleston, Smallwood, Flint Hill, Winnsboro, Woodward, Blackstock, Douglas, Monticello, Dawkins, Jenkinsville, St. Phillips, Ridgeway, Rockton, White Oak, Toddville, Bucksville, Brownway, and Cannon Hills as well as along Highways 3, 21, 22, 29, 34, 176, 200, 219, 269, 321, 378, 544, and 701; I-20 and I-77; Camden Highway, Bishopville Highway, Red Hill Road, and Highway 378 / 501.

Last year, the company also announced it plans to expand the availability of ultra-fast speeds through AT&T GigaPower^SM to homes, apartments and small businesses in the Charleston, Columbia and Greenville regions. AT&T GigaPower offers our fastest Internet speeds, up to 1Gbps² over a 100% fiber network to more than 1.6 million locations across 22 major metro areas.

Looking ahead, we have big plans for 2016. We'll be giving you the ability to access and stream DIRECTV video services over a wired or wireless Internet connection from any provider and from virtually any device – smartphone, tablet, Smart TV, streaming media hardware or PC. We plan for each service to come with a set number of simultaneous sessions. These services will not require annual contracts, satellite dishes or set-top boxes.

In 2016, for the second year in a row, FORTUNE magazine recognized AT&T as the Most Admired Telecommunications Company in the world. We also placed #48 among the Top 50 World's Most Admired companies. This is our third year in a row on the Top 50 list – AT&T is the only communications company on the list. We ranked #1 in all 9 attributes. This included innovation, financial soundness and quality of products/services. FORTUNE's Most Admired Companies lists are among the most highly respected indicators of corporate performance and reputation.

To learn more about our coverage in South Carolina, or anywhere in the U.S., visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward- looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice services. We're the world's largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. We offer the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.* And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.

Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

© 2016 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.

*Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; voice roaming; and world-capable smartphone and tablets 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.

[1] 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.
[2] Internet speed claims represent maximum network service capability speeds. Actual customer speeds may vary based on factors including site traffic, content provider server capacity, internal network management factors, and device capabilities and are not guaranteed. For more information, go to att.com/speed101.

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