University of Houston to Install 1,000 AT&T U-verse Connections in New Residence Hall

HOUSTON (Map) - HOUSTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The University of Houston and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today announced the nation's first planned deployment of AT&T U-verse(SM) services into student housing on a college campus. The cutting-edge TV and high speed Internet services will be included in every room of a 547,000-square-foot residence hall under construction for graduate and professional students.

The Calhoun Lofts, next to the University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business, will contain more than 700 one- and two-bedroom apartments with 1,000 AT&T U-verse connections, along with 10,000 square feet of retail space. School officials chose Internet Protocol-based television (IPTV) as the next-generation video service best suited for the university's next-generation living space.

"Outfitting an entire facility with AT&T U-verse keeps with the University of Houston's forward thinking on technology and the quality of student life," said Elwyn Lee, vice president for Student Affairs at the University of Houston. "We chose what best represented our vision for the university."

AT&T is the only national service provider to offer a 100 percent IP-based TV service, making AT&T U-verse TV one of the most advanced television offerings anywhere. Industry analyst firm Stratecast recognized U-verse TV as its 2007 Best Business Strategy.

Texas was the first state in which AT&T U-verse services were deployed, thanks to progressive legislation passed in September 2005 by the Texas Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry. In the Greater Houston area, more than 500,000 living units have the service available just 16 months after it was introduced, and expansion continues.

The university's new $108 million residence hall broke ground in fall 2007 and is scheduled for completion in 2009. It is one of several projects undertaken as part of the University of Houston's Master Plan, a framework for development during the next two decades. The school will double the square footage of its buildings (without expanding the overall 550-acre campus) and add another 10,000 students to increase enrollment to 45,000.

"We are delighted that University of Houston students will be able to enjoy the same advanced AT&T U-verse services as an ever-expanding number of consumers across the Houston area," said Ed Cholerton, AT&T vice president and general manager for the Houston area. "We share the university's commitment to the best communications and entertainment technology."

The deployment of next-generation AT&T Advanced TV services, including AT&T U-verse TV, is part of the company's mission to connect people with their world, everywhere they live and work, and do it better than anyone else.

More information on the University of Houston's Master Plan is available at http://www.uh.edu/about/initiatives/masterplan. Customers who want additional information on AT&T U-verse service -- or to find out whether it's available in their area -- can visit http://uverse.att.com.

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. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. 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.

(C) 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

About the University of Houston System

The University of Houston System is the state's only metropolitan higher education system, encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers. The universities are the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university beginning limited expansion into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper division and master's-level institutions. The centers are the UH System at Sugar Land in Fort Bend and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. In addition, the UH System includes KUHF-FM, Houston's National Public Radio and classical radio station, and KUHT-TV, the nation's first educational television station.

For more information about UH, visit the university's 'Newsroom' at http://www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.