AT&T Reports 3G Wireless Download Speeds of up to 1.7 Mbps for LaptopConnect Customers - a 20+ Percent Increase

Higher 3G Network Speeds Benefit Growing Number of Workers and Consumers Who Want On-the-Go Internet Connectivity

How do you make a blazing-fast 3G (third-generation) mobile broadband network even better? You make it faster. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced a more than 20 percent increase to the top end of the company's typical 3G network downlink speed range and a 50 percent increase to the top end of the typical uplink speed range for wireless laptop card customers¹. The upgrades are results of recent network enhancements, including the deployment of High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) technology across all existing 3G markets before the end of June.

AT&T's 3G mobile broadband network is available in more than 275 major U.S. metropolitan areas. Later this month, AT&T will become the first U.S. carrier to have fully deployed High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology across its entire 3G network. By year-end, the company plans to offer 3G service in nearly 350 major metropolitan U.S. areas.

The new typical wireless broadband speeds for LaptopConnect customers¹:

Downlink — Between 700 Kbps (kilobits per second) and 1.7 Mbps (megabits per second), formerly 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps
Uplink — Between 500 Kbps and 1.2 Mbps, formerly 500 to 800 Kbps

Customers who use AT&T's LaptopConnect wireless cards can use these new speeds to access large files and multimedia applications faster than ever before¹. The new typical speed ranges reflect the results of recent measurements performed during thousands of tests in multiple markets.

The number of AT&T LaptopConnect subscribers increased more than 83 percent between the first quarters of 2007 and 2008, showing strong demand for on-the-go data use.

Between 2005 and the end 2008, AT&T will have invested more than $20 billion in network improvements and upgrades — an average of $5 billion a year. The company's HSPA network is in the best position among American carriers to grow in line with customer demand, evolving to HSPA+ and providing next-generation speeds through a software upgrade without costly investments across the breadth of the network. As HSPA technology evolves between 2009 and 2010 to HSPA+, peak speeds could reach 20 Mbps. AT&T plans to adopt LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology to reach even higher speeds in the longer term.