AT&T Brings 3G Mobile Broadband Network to Central Oregon Tweet

New Store in Cascade Village and Local Wireless Network Upgrade Extend Access to Advanced Products, Services and Applications.

AT&T* opened its first AT&T-owned retail store in Central Oregon to provide products and services for customers in the region. Also today, AT&T is announcing the availability of its third generation (3G) mobile broadband network in Central Oregon, opening the door to a new era of mobile services, devices and feature-rich audio and video content for customers in the area. The new store is located in Cascade Village at
63455 N. Hwy. 97 in Bend, Ore.

The new store features a spacious showroom with a hands-on, interactive design that redefines the meaning of customer experience. For example, touch-screen information stations make it easy for customers to view rate plans, coverage maps and shop for devices, accessories and ringtones. Interactive experience stations allow customers to test-drive AT&T’s portfolio of cutting-edge wireless products and services, such as 3G netbooks and smartphones, downloadable music, messaging, streaming video, data, Web browsing and more. Customers can also browse more than 170 unique accessories including hands-free headsets, phone cases, screen protectors and more. AT&T customers now have 33 AT&T-owned retail locations to choose from in Oregon.

“Demand for wireless bandwidth is growing, whether it’s for sharing video and photos with friends, watching a movie, checking the latest scores, or listening to music on a phone, netbook or other mobile devices on the go,” said Mike Maxwell, vice president & general manager, AT&T Pacific Northwest. “With this network expansion and store opening, our customers can enjoy the nation’s best, most advanced mobile broadband experience with emerging devices and tens of thousands of mobile applications.”

AT&T is an industry leader in delivering the benefits of mobile broadband networks, devices and applications. With the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T provides accelerated mobile data speeds for an amazing wireless voice and data experience. Unlike other 3G networks, AT&T customers can use voice and data services on our 3G network simultaneously.

Wireless data traffic on the AT&T network has grown more than 5,000 percent over the past three years, largely attributed to the increasing popularity of advanced smartphones and the performance of AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest.

“We’re giving our customers greater convenience and a hands-on experience with our products and services,” said Adam Grzybicki, president of AT&T Oregon. “We commend our public officials for enacting policies that encourage businesses to invest in their operations in Oregon.”

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 this year and in 2011 as AT&T combines the new technology with the increased deployment of high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic technology.

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 has the best international coverage of any U.S. wireless provider, delivering voice service in over 220 countries and data service in more than 190 countries. AT&T also offers voice and data roaming coverage on 130 major cruise ships, as well as 3G services in 115 countries.

For more information about AT&T’s 3G coverage in Central Oregon or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer. The online tool can measure the quality of coverage based on a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.

Operating hours for the Cascade Village AT&T store are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday.

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

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