AT&T FIRST TO LAUNCH WIRELESS DIGITAL PCS NATIONWIDE; SERVICE AVAILABLE NOW FOR 70 MILLION PEOPLE IN 40 CITIES.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 1996--AT&T today became the first company to offer immediate availability of the next generation of digital wireless communications wireless communications System using radio-frequency, infrared, microwave, or other types of electromagnetic or acoustic waves in place of wires, cables, or fibre optics to transmit signals or data. service throughout its national wireless network, the country's largest. The company's newest service - AT&T Digital PCS (1) (Personal Communications Services) Refers to wireless services that emerged after the U.S. government auctioned commercial licenses in 1994 and 1995. This radio spectrum in the 1. - makes convenient and secure mobile communications a reality in 40 major metropolitan markets, and combines voice, messaging and paging communications in a single phone. This provides customers the opportunity to consolidate three separate devices - a pager, phone and personal messaging system Software that provides an electronic mail delivery system. It is made up of the following functional components, which may be packaged together or independently. Mail User Agent into one, and reduces the number of required batteries and charging systems customers must have. "Our wireless offerings are at the heart of AT&T's delivery of services that meet customers' needs for anytime, anywhere communications," said AT&T Chairman Robert E. Allen. "With AT&T Digital PCS, we're affirming our leadership position by being the first to bring customers in cities across the country the advantages of the most advanced wireless technology." Steve Hooper, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of AT&T Wireless Services, said, "This is the largest simultaneous national rollout of service in the history of the wireless communications industry. "As of today, we're offering AT&T Digital PCS to 70 million potential customers, with plans to extend it rapidly to more than 212 million potential customers -- more than 80 percent of the U.S. population. Then, even as they travel cross country, customers will have access in AT&T Digital PCS service areas to all the service's features." AT&T Digital PCS offers customers caller ID A telephone company service that sends the caller's telephone number between the first and second ring of the call. If the calling number is not blocked, the calling number is displayed on the handset or base station of the called party. , so they can see the number of the person calling, and voice mail, with message waiting indicator Message Waiting Indicator (MWI) in telephony, is a Bellcore term for an FSK-based telephone calling feature that illuminates an LED on select telephones to notify a telephone user of waiting voicemail messages on most North American public telephone networks and PBXs. , so a quick glance tells them they have messages. And with the new service, customers can receive text and numeric messages on their phones from personal computers and text dispatch services. Also, the battery performance has been dramatically improved, enabling customers to talk longer, or leave their phones on for extended periods of time, using the "sleep mode" feature. Some models can be in a ready mode for as long as 60 hours before recharging is required - two to three times longer than traditional wireless phones. Digital technology also offers customers greater privacy, and increased resistance to cellular service fraud via cloning, often without a personal identification number (PIN). AT&T Digital PCS customers will pay the lowest flat rate in the U.S. -- just $.60 per minute -- for "roaming" calls -- those calls made from outside the customer's "home," or local, calling area. The company is offering a range of service packages, starting at $24.99 per month. And there's no annual service commitment. "AT&T Digital PCS now offers customers the opportunity to use these new services, at an affordable rate, whether they're in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , Pittsburgh, San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. or more than 40 other cities across America," Hooper said. AT&T Digital PCS is available now in major markets, including Seattle; Sacramento, Fresno and Ventura, Calif.; Miami, Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; Las Vegas; Salt Lake City; Boise, Idaho; Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Pittsburgh; Minneapolis; and a number of markets in the New York metropolitan area New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island is the most populous metropolitan area in the United States and the third most populous in the world, after Tokyo and Mexico City. and Northern New Jersey. AT&T Digital PCS is based on the advanced Time Division Multiple Access (North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) A satellite and cellular phone technology that interleaves multiple digital signals onto a single high-speed channel. For cellular, TDMA triples the capacity of the original analog method (FDMA). ) standard. It uses a digital datapath on an IS-136 "digital control channel" to provide the new wireless features. It also allows for the creation of microcell networks for in-building and campus PBX-type applications, such as AT&T's Wireless Office Service. This allows customers to use the features they're used to with their office telephone systems, such as four or five-digit dialing, whether they're across town or across the country. Some of the first users of AT&T Digital PCS include students and teachers from ten schools across the U.S., under the AT&T Learning Networkr. This $150 million, five year commitment to help put the nation's 110,000 schools on the Information Superhighway includes two years of free wireless service for 100 selected schools. AT&T Wireless Services is a premier provider of wireless voice, advanced messaging, aircraft communications and wireless data services in the U.S. It is a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of AT&T (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :T), the world's leading provider of communications services and products. Internet users: AT&T Home Page http://www.att.com/wireless -0- Editors Note: AT&T Chairman Robert E. Allen will hold a news conference to announce the nationwide launch of AT&T Digital PCS Service at 11:30 a.m. EDT EDT abbr. Eastern Daylight Time EDT Eastern Daylight Time EDT n abbr (US) (= Eastern Daylight Time) → hora de verano de Nueva York EDT today in the auditorium at AT&T's World Headquarters at 32 Avenue of the Americas. Journalists attending in person will receive a new product, on loan, for a two-week period. The news conference will also be available by teleconference. Reporters in the United States can call 1800-700-8174; reporters outside the United States can call 612-332-0430. A rebroadcast of the news conference audio will be repeated for 24 hours Adv. 1. for 24 hours - without stopping; "she worked around the clock" around the clock, round the clock beginning at 2 p.m. EDT today at 1-800- 475-6701, access code 316-517, or from outside the U.S. at 320- 365-3844, access code 316-517. B-roll will be available from 11:30 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. EDT today on Telstar 401, Transponder 3. The B-roll will be available again from 4:00 p.m. until 4:15 p.m. EDT today on Galaxy 6, Transponder 11. CONTACT: Todd Wolfenbarger - AT&T Wireless Services 206-828-1851 - office 206-979-2677 - cellular or Ken Woo - AT&T Wireless Services 206-619-9011 (office) 206-972-1728 (cellular) or Ruthlyn Newell - AT&T 908-221-2737 (office) 908-647-6260 (home) !ruthlyn@attmail.com |
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