AT&T GEARS UP FOR “SAILABRATION” WITH CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS DRIVE; SIMULATOR TO HIGHLIGHT DANGERS OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING; AND MORE

BALTIMORE, MD (JUNE 11, 2012) - As the presenting sponsor of Star Spangled 200, the commemoration of Maryland’s role in the War of 1812, AT&T* today announced additional plans for a special activity to help our troops and an interactive experience to increase safety by discouraging texting while driving. The Star-Spangled Sailabration will take place June 13-19, 2012, throughout Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

AT&T Supports Cell Phones for Soldiers

A long-standing mission of AT&T is connecting members of our nation’s military with their loved ones back home. Initiated in 2004, Cell Phones for Soldiers uses funds from recycled cell phones to buy prepaid phone cards for our service men and women, helping them connect them with their families.

Visitors to the Sailabration events can bring their used cell phones to special drop-off bins that will be located in AT&T’s special tent located at the Sailabration Village at the Inner Harbor, near the Baltimore Visitor Center.

Before dropping off devices, individuals should remove any SIM card, erase your data and restore their device to factory settings.

“AT&T is dedicated to supporting active military personnel, their families and veterans through charitable contributions; event and program sponsorships; hiring of military veterans; and maintaining policies that support reservists when called to active duty,” said J. Michael Schweder, president, AT&T Mid-Atlantic. “We encourage visitors to Sailabration to donate their used devices to help keep our troops connected while away from their loved ones and to help reduce the amount of waste in the environment.

Texting and Driving: It Can Wait

Another company-wide commitment is raising awareness of the dangers of texting while driving. There is no question that texting is increasingly becoming the way many communicate today, particularly teenagers, who, on average, text five times more a day than a typical adult.** But texting and driving is dangerous. and teens know it. According to a recent AT&T survey, although 97 percent of teens know texting while driving is dangerous, 43 percent admit to sending a text while driving.

As part of AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign, those who visit the AT&T booth during Sailabration festivities on June 15-17 will be given an opportunity to text while driving in a car simulator, enabling them to experience how just a few seconds of distraction behind the wheel could have tragic consequences.

They will learn first-hand the truth behind this Virginia Tech Transportation Institute statistic: those who text while driving takes their eyes off the road for an average of five seconds.*** At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of a football field completely blind.****

“Our message is simple: When it comes to texting and driving, it can wait,” said Rob Forsyth, vice president and general manager for AT&T in the greater Washington/Baltimore area. “This is a tremendous opportunity to reach people from across the region and remind them it is never okay to text and drive."

AT&T’s presence at Sailabration

Visitors to Baltimore for Sailabration also will have an opportunity to learn more about AT&T’s presence in Maryland, as well as the products and services offered by the company. Visitors can experience first-hand many of the latest smartphones and tablets that will be on display at the AT&T booth. They can also have a complimentary commemorative Sailabration photo taken and emailed to them on the spot. AT&T will be located at the Sailabration Village at the Inner Harbor, near the Baltimore Visitor Center.

###

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. 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 largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

© 2012 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 4G not available everywhere. 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. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.