AT&T announced today that the U.S. General Services Administration has awarded the company a new contract to provide Web hosting and security services for the Federal Government's preeminent and heavily trafficked Web portal, http://www.firstgov.gov/.

"We're pleased that the GSA has placed so much trust in AT&T, by utilizing our expertise on FirstGov.gov, a showcase element of the President's 24 e-Government initiatives. AT&T played a key role in the creation of FirstGov.gov, and in the deployment of its improved, robust search engine. We expect to host this citizen-focused portal with the same reliable, robust, and trusted technology that is the hallmark of AT&T services," said Chris Rooney, President of AT&T Government Solutions.

Casey Coleman, Chief Technology Officer for GSA's Office of Citizen Services (OCS), said: "The Federal government's e-gov initiatives will be able to use the new OCS / AT&T contract to design, test and deploy a wide range of new services to better serve the citizen."

Earlier this year, AT&T's role in the project was expanded when GSA selected the company to provide the site's search capabilities. Using the latest technologies, AT&T worked as the systems integrator to provide an outsourced, hosted solution, deploying a search engine that delivers more relevant results, based on information that can change daily, and accesses information stored in a wider variety of formats. This work was in addition to the design, coding and deployment of the initial FirstGov.gov portal in September 2000.

The hosting of FirstGov.gov is just another example of AT&T's leadership in Internet Protocol (IP) services, including best-in-breed network-based Web hosting and security services for government and enterprise customers. A current study by the market research firm RHK Inc. found that AT&T is the fastest growing provider of IP traffic, and the company's network was recently ranked number one in pure IP backbone performance in a separate evaluation by Boardwatch magazine and Keynote Systems. Web Hosting magazine named AT&T "Best Solutions Hosting Provider" for 2001.

AT&T's Web hosting services are supported by 18 Internet Data Centers worldwide, with nearly 2 million square feet of Web hosting space. AT&T's portfolio of hosting services is designed to serve any level of customer need, with capabilities, portal services and systems in place that support government's mission-critical applications, whether AT&T is providing a fully outsourced, end-to-end hosting solution or customers are managing their own applications hosted in AT&T's Internet Data Centers.

About AT&T

AT&T (http://www.att.com/) is among the world's premier voice, video, and data communications companies, serving consumers, business, and government. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company runs the world's largest, most sophisticated communications network, and is the largest cable operator in the U.S. The company is a leading supplier of data, Internet, and managed services for the public and private sectors, and offers outsourcing, consulting, and networking-integration to large businesses and government. Serving nearly 60 million consumers, AT&T is the market leader in consumer communications services, and operates AT&T WorldNet(R) Service, a leading Internet access service that has garnered several awards for outstanding customer service.