AT&T Honored As One of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises

Company Selected by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council as a Leader in Supplier Diversity Programs

San Antonio, Texas, March 2008

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today that the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America’s corporations, has named AT&T as one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs).

This is the ninth consecutive year that AT&T has received this honor from WBENC. The company has been included among the top corporations since the list’s inception.

AT&T was selected for this list because it successfully demonstrates a substantial commitment, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to enhancing contracting opportunities for WBEs. AT&T and 15 other corporate leaders will be recognized tomorrow at the WBENC’s special awards presentation in Washington, D.C.

“Supplier diversity is an integral part of AT&T’s business, and women business enterprises contribute to our company’s growth and success,” said Tim Harden, AT&T president of Supply Chain and Fleet Operations. “We are honored to receive this award from WBENC because it is a reflection of our world-class supplier diversity initiatives.”

AT&T has received numerous honors for the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. In 2006 and 2007, AT&T topped DiversityBusiness.com’s list of the Top Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities, based on the quality of business opportunities that AT&T consistently grants to minority- and women-owned companies. AT&T ranked third among DiversityInc’s 2007 Top 50 Companies for Diversity for the company’s commitment to diversity in the workplace and marketplace.

This year, AT&T is celebrating 40 years of supplier diversity excellence. AT&T’s supplier diversity programs are designed to promote, increase and improve the quality of the overall participation of businesses in the company’s supply chain that are owned by minorities, women and disabled veterans. AT&T’s supplier diversity leadership has helped launch several best practices for supply chain inclusion. In 1989, the company was one of the first to implement a formalized second-tier program, which has been effective in broadening the spectrum of opportunities for diverse suppliers within telecommunications and other industries.

AT&T is a member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a supplier diversity think tank of corporations that spend more than $1 billion annually with diverse companies. Only 13 member companies qualify at this level. Supplier diversity is a critical initiative of AT&T’s business strategy and a key component of the company’s plan to deliver the best products and services to its customers. In 2007, AT&T spent $5 billion with diverse suppliers, representing 12.5 percent of the company’s procurement base. This amount includes spending $1.8 billion with women business enterprises.