AT&T Announces New Contract with MergerTree Solutions LP

Network Upgrades Support Texas Technology Services Provider

Houston, Texas, October 17, 2006 - AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today announced a new contract with MergerTree Solutions, LP, a technology managed services provider with headquarters in Houston, Texas. Under the terms of the three-year contract, AT&T will serve as the primary provider, delivering a complete package of IT services consisting of AT&T’s network-based Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Virtual Private Network (VPN) along with Managed Internet Service (MIS) to all MergerTree locations across the region, as well as AT&T Enterprise Hosting services at an off-site AT&T Internet Data Center (IDC).

AT&T network-based MPLS VPN provides a robust and flexible network infrastructure, allowing unified communications among regional locations. The service will deliver increased bandwidth and redundancy to MergerTree Solutions’ fully meshed MPLS network. AT&T Enterprise Hosting services deliver an always-on data center infrastructure with advanced power, network and security features backed by industry leading service-level agreements. The solution will provide added redundancy, managed network security, and connectivity for optimal data transfer, processing and storage. Additionally, MergerTree Solutions will use the AT&T IDC for off-site data backup and recovery to ensure data access and continuity, should any disruption occur at the main office. The MIS will support dedicated and consistent Internet and network access.

The converged AT&T solution will allow secure and reliable user access to MergerTree’s business-critical hosted IT infrastructure and provide a cost-effective external communications solution. The upgraded bandwidth, coupled with data center hosting services in the AT&T IDC, will provide a solid foundation for MergerTree Solutions to increase its Intranet security while helping to support the company’s critical applications for business continuity.

“In order for us to broaden our addressable customer market, we needed a provider capable of expanding our current business communications,” said Kate Wernet-Marx, chief financial officer of MergerTree Solutions, LP. “We are confident that the solution provided by AT&T will not only strengthen our overall network infrastructure but also enable us to increase our portfolio of services that we can offer to our customers.”

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About AT&T
AT&T Inc. is one of the world’s largest telecommunications holding companies and is the largest in the United States. Operating globally under the AT&T brand, AT&T companies are recognized as the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communications services to business and as leading U.S. providers of high speed DSL Internet, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. AT&T Inc. holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider with 57.3 million wireless customers. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and AT&T products and services is available at www.att.com.

About MergerTree Solutions, LP
MergerTree Solutions, LP is a technology managed services provider (MSP) headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company offers technology services to small and medium businesses (SMBs) in two primary packages. In addition to MergerTree RemoteCare™, the company also offers the MergerTree Grid™ where SMBs can access their office computing programs via the Internet from a locked-down and protected Network Central at a monthly subscription price. MergerTree Grid services include business-class e-mail running on clustered, redundant Microsoft Exchange servers, Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft SharePoint, and other programs. MergerTree Grid customers can also get real-time synchronization between their Palm Treo (or other PDA) and the Exchange e-mail server to stay constantly in touch. Automated, off-site data backup and digital document management services are also provided by MergerTree. For more information on MergerTree Solutions, visit www.mergertree.com.

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