AT&T Launches Unity Community Calling Plan

Looking to quickly leverage the wireless assets from its BellSouth merger, AT&T Inc. today announced AT&T Unity, an unlimited free calling community plan that includes wireless and wireline phone numbers.

It will be available beginning Sunday.

AT&T said the Unity plan is the company’s first major converged product offering since the company’s Dec. 29 acquisition of BellSouth and consolidation of Cingular Wireless.

The telco said the voice-only AT&T Unity plan brings together home, business and wireless calling and enables a calling community of more than 100 million AT&T wireless and wireline phone numbers, with the subscribers receiving a single bill.

Community calling plans and features have swept through the wireless world in the last few years as a way of reducing overall calling charges and driving up traffic among subscribers. They have their roots in the former MCI’s landmark Friends and Family wireline plan launched well over a decade ago.

AT&T Unity rate plans are available to new and existing qualified residential and small business customers in the company’s 22-state service area, which now includes the BellSouth’s local service area. Domestic calls made to and from any AT&T phone number nationwide are eligible.

Subscribers can call or receive calls for free from any AT&T wireless and wireline phone numbers nationwide without incurring additional wireline usage fees or using their wireless anytime minutes.

In addition to free domestic calling to and from AT&T numbers, the Unity plan includes wireless service with unlimited nights and weekend minutes and a package of anytime minutes.

To qualify for AT&T Unity, residential customers must have or subscribe to an unlimited AT&T wireline local and long-distance plan. For example, in the pre-merger 13-state territory, consumers can subscribe to AT&T All Distance for $50 per month before taxes and surcharges ($40 per month when ordered online), which includes an unlimited local and domestic direct dial long-distance plan with up to 13 vertical features.

In nine-state BellSouth territory, customers can subscribe to the BellSouth Unlimited Plan which offers unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling and five calling features for approximately $50 per month.

“AT&T Unity is the ideal way to introduce our customers to the real power of combining wireless and wireline services into an appealing offering that delivers value, flexibility and convenience,” said Edward E. Whitacre Jr., chairman and CEO of AT&T, in prepared comments. “More than two years ago, Cingular Wireless, now the new AT&T, raised the bar by creating the largest unlimited wireless calling community in America. With AT&T Unity, we are raising the bar even higher by adding unlimited domestic calling to and from AT&T wireline customers.”

The telco said the price points for AT&T Unity wireless plans are identical to current Cingular individual plans. Residential calling plans available, according to AT&T, are:

• AT&T Unity Individual Plans – five packages of 900 to 6,000 anytime wireless minutes, plus unlimited night and weekend minutes and unlimited free Unity Minutes for approximately $60 to $200 per month. Plans include nationwide long-distance and roaming, voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting, three-way calling and caller ID.

• AT&T Unity FamilyTalk Plans – six packages offering from 700 to 6,000 anytime minutes, plus unlimited night and weekend minutes and unlimited free Unity minutes for approximately $70 to $300 per month. Plans include up to five lines, at an additional cost for each line, nationwide long-distance and roaming, voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting, three-way calling and caller ID.

AT&T Inc. www.att.com

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