AT&T to invest $18B in '09

AT&T Inc. said it will invest up to $18 billion this year on its wireless and broadband networks and add 3,000 jobs to support that business.

About two-thirds of that investment will extend and enhance the company's wireless and wired broadband networks to provide more coverage, speed and capacity, the company said in a news release.

The additional jobs will support the anticipated increased demand in mobility, broadband and video.

The company had announced layoffs of 4,650 last April and an additional 12,000 layoffs in December.

Among the capital investments planned are multiple subsea fiber-optic cables to maximize capacity and reliability of backbone connections and expand the global reach of access solutions for enterprise customers, the company said.

AT&T ranks No. 38 on Washington Technology’s 2008 Top 100 list of the largest federal government prime contractors.