AT&T Retools Online Small Business Resource, Adding 'Web 2.0' Functionality and Enabling Greater User Interaction

February 21, 2008; 03:30 AM

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As part of the continued
dedication to serving small business customers, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today
announced the launch of a more robust version of the Onward Small Business
Web site, which features new functionality and improved navigation for
visitors both in the office and on the road.

    Launched in February 2007, the Onward Small Business site
(http://www.att.com/OnwardSmallBiz) recorded its 1 millionth unique visitor
last fall, putting the site among the top online destinations for small
businesses. The site already offers a variety of free advice and tools
geared to small business owners.

    Based on feedback from site visitors during the past year, AT&T
recently added several Web 2.0 enhancements that enable greater visitor
interaction, including the ability to:



    -- Rate, share and tag articles in the News and Insights section.
    -- Recommend customer stories and case studies for inclusion on the site.
    -- Grade Web-based courses offered through the site.
    -- Suggest topics for new online courses.
    -- Listen to site content - news, customer stories, expert advice, AT&T
       services, etc. - via text-to-speech technology.
    -- Receive customized content from the site based on previous viewing
       habits.

    In addition, feedback from site visitors led AT&T to redesign site
graphics and add a tutorial to help small businesses maximize available
resources. The site also features simpler and more consistent navigation,
including optimizing to ensure compliance for viewing on smartphones and
other mobile communications devices.

    "More than ever before, small businesses are conducting activities and
accessing the Internet while they're away from the office or on the road,"
said Ann Rotatori, vice president of Business Marketing for AT&T. "As a
result, developing a mobile-compliant version of our Onward Small Business
site to ease access and navigation via mobile phones and other hand-held
wireless devices was a priority."

    "The AT&T site provides access to information for helping businesses be
more productive, which is important because I'm not knowledgeable in all
aspects of business," said Nelson Toro, IT manager for Associated Research,
a small manufacturing firm in Lake Forest, Ill. "The new site also is
easier to navigate, requiring fewer clicks to get to the information I
need. And the new color scheme makes it easier to determine which
information is most relevant and important for me."

    "AT&T continues to raise the bar when it comes to providing free online
resources to small businesses," said Kneko Burney, president of Compass
Intelligence, a telecom and high-tech research firm. "The company's
commitment to serve small business customers with tailored content and
resources, and now with improved navigation, further strengthens AT&T's
position as a leader in online experience for the small business market."

    A February 2008 report by Compass Intelligence ranks AT&T's retooled
site as No. 1 among telecommunications providers for small businesses. Last
year, Compass Intelligence ranked the Onward Small Business site as the
best in the telecom industry and among the top four online sites overall
for small businesses.

    "We've listened to our small business customers and, as a result, have
enhanced site navigation and added new Web 2.0 functionality," Rotatori
said. "The result is an online resource for small businesses that is
unmatched among telecommunications providers. We're proud to offer the most
comprehensive set of communications services available to small businesses,
and, most important, we're committed to helping them move their business
onward to greater success."

    The site continues to offer topics of interest for a more personalized
online experience, including:



    -- Free instructional Web-based seminars and training courses hosted by
       experts.
    -- Tips on starting, managing and relocating a small business from a
       variety of experts and sources.
    -- A daily feed of small business news, including streaming video segments
       from SBTV.com - Small Business Television.
    -- An online discussion feature, The Watercooler, for small businesses to
       share experiences.
    -- The ability to submit questions and to receive one-on-one advice from
       SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."

    The AT&T Onward Small Business site complements AT&T's industry-leading
portfolio of communications products and services for small businesses.
This portfolio includes voice, broadband Internet, messaging, wireless and
advertising and search-engine-marketing solutions through AT&T Real Yellow
Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM. Other solutions include business e-mail
services, Wi-Fi service, Web hosting, Unified Messaging, remote data
storage, network security, data transport and other Internet Protocol-based
services designed for the unique needs of small and midsize businesses.

    Small businesses interested in experiencing AT&T's newly retooled small
business online resource should visit http://www.att.com/OnwardSmallBiz.

    Note: This AT&T release and other news announcements are available as
part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss.

    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.

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Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. For more
information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at
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