AT&T Invests Nearly $2.8-Billion Over 3-Year Period to Enhance Local Networks in Metro Atlanta Area

ATLANTA, Oct. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At AT&T*, we invested nearly $2.8-billion in our Metro Atlanta wireless and wired networks during 2014-2016. These investments enhance reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses. They also improve critical services that support public safety and first responders.

"Our customers are the reason AT&T exists. And, being a part of enhancing and connecting their lives with new technology and services is why we are here," said AT&T Georgia President Bill Leahy. "The significant investments AT&T is making in Metro Atlanta allows our thousands of AT&T employees who call this area home to expand our fiber network and bring a host of new, innovative opportunities to keep the community connected, drive economic growth and spur job creation."

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) recently chose AT&T to build a nationwide public safety broadband network –  a network dedicated to America's police, firefighters, EMS personnel and other first responders.

AT&T and FirstNet are working closely with Governor Deal and public safety stakeholders in Georgia to ensure the network we deliver addresses the specific needs of the state's public safety community. As states make the decision to participate in the FirstNet network, AT&T will build upon our current and planned investments with a dedicated focus on first responders for the 25-year life of the program.

AT&T is using the Internet of Things (IoT) to help cities gain competitive advantage by harnessing data to predict, learn and make near real-time decisions. IoT innovation is the foundation for AT&T's smart cities work—an emerging area that the company is helping to drive—right here in Atlanta. We're working closely with the city on smart city initiatives, including their innovative SmartATL project. Atlanta is using the North Avenue corridor, an area that borders the Georgia Tech campus and is in the heart of the city's business and theater district, as a test bed for numerous technologies, including digital infrastructure. With the AT&T Digital Infrastructure solution and Current by GE's CityIQ sensors, we're helping Atlanta address issues such as traffic flow, parking optimization and gunshot detection while creating a platform for citizen engagement.

"For Atlanta to continue to thrive and serve our citizens, it's crucial companies invest through thoughtful innovation," said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. "AT&T's continued commitment to Metro Atlanta helps keep us at the forefront of the technology sector. In our increasingly connected world, this type of sustained investment from the private sector is significant and helps ensure our residents, businesses and visitors enjoy the connectivity they need."

For the third year in a row, FORTUNE magazine recognized AT&T as the Most Admired Telecommunications Company in the world in 2017. We also placed No. 37 among the Top 50 World's Most Admired companies.

AT&T is the only telecommunications company on the list. We ranked No. 1 in all 9 attributes. This included innovation, financial soundness and quality of products/services.

We continue to expand the scope of our ultra-fast internet powered by AT&T Fiber. Our fastest internet speed tier, AT&T Internet 1000, is now available to nearly 600,000 homes, apartments and small businesses in the Atlanta area.

We have the largest fiber network within our 21-state wireline footprint.¹ We also now market a 1 gigabit connection² on our 100% fiber connection to over 6 million locations across 61 major metros areas. We plan to reach at least 75 major metros overall. We plan to reach at least 7 million locations by the end of 2017 and at least 12.5 million locations by mid-2019.

We have an extensive Wi-Fi network with more than 40,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers. And we provide access to Wi-Fi at more than 1 million locations around the world. Most AT&T smartphone and home internet customers get access to the entire national AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot network³ at no additional cost. Wi-Fi usage doesn't count against customers' monthly wireless data plans.

To learn more about our coverage in Atlanta 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.

¹ Based on publicly available data for the top fiber providers in the AT&T operating footprint.
² Actual customer speeds may vary. Download speeds are typically up to 940Mbps due to overhead capacity reserved to deliver the data.
³ Wi-Fi enabled device required. Other restrictions apply. See www.attwifi.com for details and locations.

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, 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. 

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

© 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 Q1 + Q2 2017 across 121 markets.

From FORTUNE Magazine, March 1, 2017. 2017 Time Inc. FORTUNE© and The World's Most Admired Companies® are registered trademarks of Time Inc. and are used under License. FORTUNE and Time Inc. are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, AT&T.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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