DALLAS, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* announced today the five year anniversary of its national Spanish bilingual concept store program. Launched in the spring of 2006 in Los Angeles, Miami, and NYC, the fledging bilingual retail program has expanded significantly over the past five years to better serve Latino customers and anticipate Hispanic population shifts. Today, AT&T offers more than 770 bilingual concept stores throughout AT&T's service regions.

"The bilingual store program was started in '06 with the launch of a couple hundred stores in three key markets. The stores were so popular that today we operate almost 800 stores nationwide," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "While our markets have grown and changed considerably since then, what remains a constant is that we've always known catering to the Hispanic consumer is essential to our success."

The national bilingual store program is part of AT&T's commitment to provide Hispanic customers with innovative, integrated services and streamlined in-language customer care. In addition to offering bilingual retail customer support, bilingual stores are also equipped with bilingual signage and marketing collaterals. The stores also feature a state-of-the-art, hands-on design to engage customers and provide a "try before you buy" service experience.

"AT&T has put a focus on finding new approaches to better serve Hispanic customers from a retail perspective. Our bilingual stores give us the chance to showcase AT&T products and services in a comfortable environment and in a culturally-relevant way," said Jennifer Jones, vice president of diverse markets, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "Most stores also offer a range of stations for customers to touch, feel and experience products and services for themselves, which makes purchasing decisions much easier."

AT&T's bilingual store program continues to convert existing and open new bilingual stores on an on-going basis, to help meet the needs of the growing U.S. Hispanic population. According to early U.S. Census 2010 figures, the booming Hispanic population grew close to 43 percent from 2000 to 2010 and is expected to make up 30 percent of the country's population in 2050.

"We are very proud of these stores where Hispanic consumers can talk to someone who understands their needs and speaks their language," said Roberto Garcia, executive director, AT&T Hispanic Marketing. "We are from this segment and we know this segment from our personal experiences, and we want Latinos to know we're working hard every day to be their provider of choice."

The investment and expansion of AT&T's bilingual retail footprint demonstrates its commitment to bringing cutting-edge communications and entertainment directly to Hispanic customers in their language of choice. The program is continuously evolving based on how AT&T believes Latino consumers currently purchase and will purchase entertainment and communications services in the future.

Bilingual stores are selected according to Hispanic population density in the neighboring areas. They are located mainly in states with a heavy Hispanic population such as California, Texas, Illinois, New York and Florida, but also in other emerging Hispanic markets such as Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Oregon.

Where available, bilingual stores house AT&T's portfolio of wireless, broadband, video and wireline voice products and services including:

AT&T U-verse® and Direct TV. View U-verse TV and AT&T | DISH Network® service demonstrations, test-drive Web-based and wireless remote access features, High Definition (HD) programming and browse an extensive Video On Demand catalogue.
Connected Devices. Browse the Internet, interact with tablets, netbooks and other emerging devices.
Smartphones. Compare the latest wireless devices using a variety of operating systems that allow users to download applications, music, stream video and surf the Web.
Messaging. Demo wireless devices, GPS and wireless accessories by using e-mail and more.
GoPhone. Try out GoPhone® and an assortment of accessories.
Wireless ePay Stations. Pay your bill at the store in cash or credit where available.

Providing bilingual retail customer support is part of AT&T's commitment to make it easier for Latino consumers to purchase complete communications and entertainment services.

AT&T offers products and services designed with the Latino consumer in mind. For more than 25 years, AT&T and its brands have offered Spanish-language customer support service through its network of 22 call centers. AT&T operates more than 770 bilingual retail locations nationwide. For additional information visit [ espanol.att.com ], find us on Facebook at [ AT&T Latino ], or visit a local AT&T store near you.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

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. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, 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. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

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 ]. Find us on Facebook at [ www.Facebook.com/ATT ] to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at [ www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz ] to discover more about our small business services.

© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. 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.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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AT&T Celebrates 5 Years of Dedicated Spanish-Bilingual Retail Program

AT&T Celebrates 5 Years of Dedicated Spanish-Bilingual Retail Program

Bilingual Store Program Continues to Expand and Evolve to Provide Holistic Retail Experience; Program Has Launched More Than 770 Bilingual Concept Stores Throughout the U.S. to Date