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AT&T Announces New Five-Year Voice and Data Services Contract With Edward Hospital & Health Services

Posted on: Thursday, 13 April 2006, 09:00 CDT

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today announced a new voice and data services contract with Edward Hospital & Health Services, an Illinois health care provider with seven off-site satellite facilities throughout Chicago's western suburbs.

Under the terms of the five-year contract, AT&T will be the primary voice and data solutions provider for Edward Hospital & Health Services, deploying OPT-E-MAN(R) service and a Synchronous Optical Network (SONET). These solutions will unify Edward Hospital & Health Services' communications within a single meshed network, connecting the main hospital with its additional health care facilities. OPT-E-MAN, a switched Ethernet service, will connect the hospital's multiple locations, allowing communications between locations through a pure Ethernet solution. With the deployment of the SONET dedicated ring technology, a redundant optical fiber network backbone, Edward Hospital & Health Services can ensure business continuity and consolidate Ethernet, data, video, and voice traffic between multiple locations and the central office through a single, fail-safe platform.

By connecting multiple facilities onto a single network, Edward Hospital & Health Services will now be able to implement five-digit dialing between locations and to deploy a centralized voice mail system. Staff will be able to transfer patient records quickly and securely to another facility, increasing productivity and improving patient care. The new connectivity will also provide redundancy and disaster recovery. These solutions, in alignment with AT&T's convergence strategy, will deliver unprecedented levels of efficiency and security to Edward Hospital & Health Services' network infrastructure.

"We needed a provider capable of connecting our multiple locations onto a single, secure network," said Laura Bagus, director of IT Infrastructure & Telecommunications, Edward Hospital & Health Services. "AT&T's solutions not only provide connectivity and improve security with disaster recovery but also deliver flexibility for future growth and expansion, as we continually advance our operations to ensure the highest levels of patient care."

About Edward Hospital & Health Services

Edward Hospital & Health Services is an Illinois healthcare provider with seven medical group offices throughout Chicago's western suburbs. With a focus on the importance of preventative medicine and health maintenance for people of all ages, Edward Hospital & Health Services employs more than 700 affiliated physicians representing 58 medical specialties. Additional information about Edward Hospital & Health Services is available at www.edward.org.

About the New AT&T

AT&T Inc. is one of the world's largest telecommunications holding companies and is the largest in the United States. Operating globally under the AT&T brand, AT&T companies are recognized as the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communications services to business and as leading U.S. providers of high-speed DSL Internet, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. AT&T Inc. holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider with more than 54 million wireless customers. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and AT&T products and services is available at www.TheNewATT.com.

(C) 2006 AT&T Knowledge Ventures. All rights reserved. Subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T brand.

For more information and detailed disclaimer information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at www.sbc.com/newsroom.

Source: Business Wire

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