CLOUD

In the latest example of its leadership in business networks and of its own transformation, AT&T today announced a new series of enhancements to its industry-leading global Internet protocol (IP) network to address the reach, performance and security requirements of the Fortune 1000 customers it serves worldwide. The enhancements -- part of an ongoing series of technology deployments -- reflect AT&T's commitment to business customers, such as international spirits firm Allied Domecq PLC, Elizabeth Arden Inc., the industry-owned cooperative SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) and Swiss International Air Lines Ltd., that generated almost 75 percent of the company's $34.5 billion annual revenue in 2003. Specifically, the company is announcing: * Expansion of its global IP network into rapidly growing markets such as China, Thailand, India and Costa Rica, as well as integration with Alestra's network in Mexico; * Growing volume of live customer traffic over recently deployed long- haul Optical Carrier (OC)-768-ready fiber from San Francisco to Seattle, transmitting data up to 40 gigabits per second on a single fiber strand; * Unsurpassed global broadband remote access options to support growing remote and mobile workforce -- increasing global WiFi access from 2,900 to 4,000 hot spots, wired Ethernet from 600 U.S. locations to 1,200 globally, and digital subscriber line (DSL) from 6,300 U.S. central offices to 8,000; * Extension of its unique network disaster recovery capabilities into Europe; and * Opening of four new Internet Data Centers in Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo and London, expanding its footprint to 25 centers on four continents, to support its growing hosting business. "Our customers need to operate as 24x7, 'always on,' virtual enterprises, and we are extending our market leadership position with continued investment in capabilities that meet their complex networking and technology requirements," said AT&T President Bill Hannigan. "Today's announcement reinforces our commitment and investment to set the standard for network performance and innovation." With the enhancements announced today, businesses and government agencies worldwide will be able to place their information technology resources on AT&T's global IP network with the confidence that their suppliers, employees, customers and partners can access critical data and applications reliably and securely from anywhere at any time -- enabling the networked enterprise. In fact, AT&T recently announced best-in-class performance guarantees across its suite of global IP services. The continued expansion of AT&T's networking infrastructure and capabilities is further evidence of the speed with which the company has transformed its business from a traditional telecommunications bandwidth provider to a leading integrator of enterprise and application networking solutions that leverage the flexibility and ubiquity of IP. "We're taking the experience and expertise we've gained through our own ongoing transformation to help enterprise customers with perhaps the most complex networking challenge they face -- the eventual migration to all IP," Hannigan said. "As a leading provider of IP networking solutions, we know IP better than anyone else. So as companies make that transition, no one is better positioned as the business customer's migration partner of choice than AT&T." Extending the reach of AT&T's global IP network into additional countries in Asia-Pacific and Latin America illustrate growing demand for increased network presence to support continued market expansion into those regions by the company's largest multinational customers. And as AT&T continues to expand its network, it also is extending its unique mobile network disaster recovery capability to Europe, where it has the largest concentration of network assets outside North America. Over the last 10 years, AT&T has invested about $300 million in a one-of- a-kind network disaster recovery capability, which includes a dedicated team of disaster recovery personnel and a fleet of more than 100 specially designed tractor-trailers that house the same equipment and components in an AT&T network node. Although these trailers traditionally have been deployed worldwide out of U.S. facilities, AT&T now has this capability based out of Europe as well for even faster response in the event of emergencies. With today's announcement, AT&T also reaffirms its distinction as "The World's Networking Company"(SM) with the recent deployment of OC-768 fiber between San Francisco and Seattle. This latest improvement represents a significant step toward AT&T's all-photonic network to support next-generation bandwidth on-demand services, such as streaming audio and video, content distribution, online gaming, as well as utility and grid computing.