AT&T Corp. says it has reached an agreement with Sprint to sell AT&T-branded wireless service to its more 30 million business and consumer customers. As a result of the five-year agreement, AT&T expects to significantly expand the wireless services it is currently testing in select U.S. markets with hopes of a launch later this year.
"In a world where customers increasingly desire the flexibility of mobile communications, we are confident that they will want to buy AT&T wireless services from one of the most trusted names in communications," says AT&T Chairman and CEO David W. Dorman. "AT&T has proved it is capable of rolling out bundles of new and complex services quickly and cost-effectively, with top-notch customer service, and we are excited to have this important capability that will help us better serve customers."
Dorman said the company intends to widen availability of its wireless service later this year by aggressively adding the service to the company's other popular consumer bundles of communications products. Among them: the AT&T OneRate local and long-distance plans, and AT&T's CallVantage VoIP service that is delivered over broadband connections. And as integration of wireless handsets with Wi-Fi networks improves over the next 18 months, AT&T plans to offer handsets that also allow customers to make VoIP calls over broadband connections in homes and businesses. AT&T's wireless service also will be offered to enterprise, small and medium business customers.
Through the Sprint deal, AT&T will offer wireless service as a mobile virtual network operator, providing its own unique content and applications, operator assistance, 411 information service, customer care, billing and handsets.
