AT&T to Invest $1 Billion in Cloud and Mobility Solutions for Businesses

AT&T will invest nearly $1 billion in 2011 to deploy global network-based cloud, mobility and network sourcing solutions for business customers. The spending, which is part of AT&T's previously announced $19 billion CAPEX budget for 2011, will be targeted at companies, government agencies and institutions in industries such as manufacturing, retail, hospitality, healthcare and automotive.



AT&T's 2011 investment priorities for business customers include:



Advanced Mobility Solutions and Connected Devices: In 1Q 2011, AT&T added 1.6 million emerging devices, which included connected devices and embedded computing devices such as tablets, netbooks, and laptops. More than 12 million emerging devices are now connected to the AT&T network. AT&T has seen the use of mobile applications triple since 2009.



Cloud Based and Emerging Services: AT&T has embedded cloud capabilities directly into its network so that the company can manage and deliver services and applications as part of a total solution to any device. These services offer customers tremendous flexibility and shared economics for their compute and storage needs – and are all protected by AT&T's industry-leading network-based security solutions.



Global Enterprise Networking: AT&T has focused investment in business-focused networks, systems and applications to provide a globally consistent set of robust and highly-secure services for our 1700 target multinational customers. More than 70 percent of AT&T's frame relay customers have made the transition to IP-based solutions, which allow them to easily add managed services such as network security, cloud services and IP conferencing on top of their infrastructures.



Small Business Services: To serve its more than 3 million small- and medium-sized business customers in the U.S., AT&T is continuing to invest in delivering new and simplified service bundles and increasing download speeds within its existing 22- state broadband footprint.



Healthcare Industry Focus: Building on the successful launch of AT&T ForHealth practice area in 2010, AT&T plans to continue to accelerate the delivery of innovative wireless, cloud-based and networking services and applications to help the healthcare industry improve patient care and reduce costs.http://www.att.com