Traditional Chinese Lion Dance Dedicates AT&T’s First Chinese-Bilingual Store in U.S.

NEW YORK, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – AT&T* today unveiled the first AT&T Chinese-bilingual store in the heart of New York’s Chinatown to address growing demand for advanced wireless data products and services in the Chinese-American community. Officials from the Chinese-American Planning Council will attend a ribbon-cutting and Lion Dance ceremony on Friday, December 11 at 11 a.m. The traditional Lion Dance, part of the Chinese culture for thousands of years, is performed on auspicious occasions such as weddings, store openings, and various festivals. The lion, a symbol of power, wisdom, and good fortune chases away evil spirits and brings happiness, longevity and good luck.

“With today’s technology, the world is indeed getting smaller. To better serve the increasingly diverse language needs of local communities, the Chinese-American Planning Council welcomes AT&T’s inauguration of its first Chinese language bilingual store to the very heart of New York City’s Chinatown,” said David Chen, executive director, Chinese-American Planning Council.

“I am delighted to welcome an additional investment by AT&T, one of the world’s premier communications companies, in our community,” said Nancy Ploeger, president Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

Located at 260 Canal Street between Broadway and Lafayette Street, the store is the first AT&T operated store in the country to feature a Chinese-bilingual retail concept, which provides convenient access to AT&T’s latest wireless offerings and is supported with bilingual sales representatives and in-store signage.

“We’re excited to be serving customers in Chinatown in their language of choice and very happy to be part of today’s ceremonies welcoming AT&T to the community,” said Tom DeVito, vice president and general manager for AT&T in New York and New Jersey. “We’re also pleased to support the educational programs of the Chinese-American Planning Council, which plays such an important role in Chinatown.”

As part of AT&T’s commitment to the Chinatown community, AT&T also announced a $10,000 contribution to the CPC’s Transition to Adulthood program that helps prepare high school students for employment, and its Gateway program which prepares high school students for college. These education programs are aligned with AT&T’s Aspire initiative, a major commitment launched in 2008 to improve high school success and workforce preparation. For more information, please visit www.att.com/education-news.

Wireless veteran Hanxu Fan leads a staff of seven sales consultants – many bilingual – who are trained to assist both business and consumer customers with purchasing decisions and sales support in Cantonese and Mandarin as well as English.

The innovative layout of the 2,000 square foot Canal Street store is designed to provide customers with a “try before they buy” sales experience with a wide selection of cell phones that text and tweet; smartphones, netbooks and wireless accessories. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

AT&T has 62 AT&T owned stores in New York City, with more than 130 serving customers across metro New York including the newly opened flagship store in Times Square, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Sullivan Counties and in New Jersey. AT&T’s advanced wireless products and services are also available at many national retailers including Radio Shack, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Kmart and Costco and at authorized locations across the area or online at www.att.com/wireless.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T’s Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE(R) magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

For 25 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have been committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. As the AT&T Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2009, more than $160 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs in 2008 alone.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.