ROCKY HILL, Conn., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier and now a part of the new AT&T, is providing its Connecticut customers with the ability to securely access information and applications at broadband speeds in the office or on the road with its new high-speed wireless 3G (third-generation) network.

"Within our wireless 3G service area, almost any spot is a mobile hot spot," said Steve Krom, vice president and general manager for Cingular, AT&T's wireless operations in New England. "Our new 3G phones, like the 3G Motorola RAZR, the Samsung BlackJack or the SYNC, not only offer faster mobile internet access and mobile email, but they also provide our customers with a richer music and mobile video experience."

Cingular's 3G footprint in the state covers I-95 and the Merritt Parkway between the New York border and New Haven as well as along Route 91 from New Haven to just north of Hartford. 3G is also available at Bradley International Airport, the UCONN-Storrs Campus, downtown New London, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos and the area surrounding ESPN headquarters in Bristol.

Cingular 3G not only offers advanced wireless services, such as viewing video clips through CingularVideo, it also enhances existing data services, like Cingular Music, by making them run faster. Customers can now download a game or ringtone or access mobile email faster than ever.

In addition to enhancing the user experience on Cingular's 3G phones, the company's third-generation wireless network now provides customers with yet another choice amongst AT&T's wide range of options for accessing the Internet at home, at work or on the go. For example, AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet service is available to well over 90% of Connecticut's homes and businesses. And, now with the 3G network, Cingular's LaptopConnect allows customers who are on the move to use their laptops wirelessly to access the Internet or their email, download large files and attachments or run business applications. Average data speeds with Cingular's LaptopConnect run between 400-700 kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink, with bursts to more than a megabit per second. Additional information on Cingular LaptopConnect and AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet service is available at Cingular store near you.

Cingular's 3G network is available in 165 cities including 73 of the top 100 markets in the country. It is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. HSDPA is the high-speed evolution of GSM/EDGE (Global System for Mobile Communication/Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution), which shares a common core network. GSM is the world's most popular wireless technology and is used by more than one billion people in 210 countries.

Cingular Wireless, part of the new AT&T, is committed to providing a customer and network experience second-to-none in the industry. Cingular now has 26 company-owned retail stores throughout Connecticut.

Last year, Cingular invested $25 million in its Connecticut network and added 47 new cell sites. Cingular customers now enjoy the benefit of more than 600 fully-integrated cell sites statewide.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company in the United States and around the world, with operating subsidiaries providing services under the AT&T brand. AT&T is the recognized world leader in providing IP-based communications services to business and the U.S. leader in providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of its "three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video entertainment offerings to include such next-generation television services as AT&T U-verse(SM) TV. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

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