AT&T Begins One of Largest Restoration Efforts in Company’s California History

More Than 1,100 Technicians Dedicated to Replacing Damaged Infrastructure and Restoring Service in Southern California

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced a restoration of telecommunications infrastructure that is one of the largest in AT&T’s California history. The company estimates that more than 2,000 telephone poles, 1.5 million feet of copper and 500,000 feet of fiber were destroyed by wildfires in San Diego County alone, surpassing damage from the 2003 fires.

AT&T is moving more than 400 technicians from Northern California into Southern California and deploying another 700 technicians within Southern California to the affected areas. The company has also established two emergency staging areas in San Diego County to handle the volume of personnel, vehicles and technicians necessary for the campaign.

“We’ve seen unprecedented damage to the network, but we’re deploying the full resources of our company to ensure that all customers are back in service just as quickly as possible,” said Tim Harden, president and CEO of AT&T West. “This will be a 24/7 effort for as long as it takes to get the job done.”

AT&T crews have restored service to the Dulzura Central Office, a community that had previously been isolated. Residents who had dial tone but were not able to call outside their area can now do so. AT&T crews continue to work in recently burned areas to restore service to Julian and Warner Springs. A 9-mile stretch of fiber cable burned by the Witch fire left 80 percent of the town of Julian and all of Warner Springs without service. A temporary microwave tower is being installed to provide temporary service to customers in those areas.

In Orange County, crews are working to restore service in the Silverado Canyon area.

“From earthquakes to fires, our employees have risen to the challenge on numerous occasions to support Californians, and this will be no different,” said Harden. “We have a tough task ahead, but we’re dedicating all available resources to the effort.”