DENVER -- AT&T and First Data Corp., a global leader in electronic commerce and payment services, today announced a three-year networking agreement with AT&T for an extensive portfolio of integrated data and voice services.  Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"With millions of consumer and business transactions daily, we need to engage in all types of transactions quickly," said John C. Smith, vice president, Telecommunications Procurement, First Data. "This solution delivers a robust network with the speed, flexibility and performance needed to streamline the way we work with our customers' and merchants' accounts."

AT&T's Transaction Routing Service, which runs on a network-based Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN), will handle millions of financial transactions per month. First Data customers and businesses in the United States, its territories, Canada and Caribbean countries will benefit from the service. 

Building on a long-term business relationship, AT&T will provide a portfolio of voice, data and Internet services to support the telecommunications requirements of First Data.

First Data will receive a flexible and reliable networking foundation that integrates a portfolio of AT&T's premier business services, including local-access, private-line and long-distance services, as well as IP-enabled high-speed data services and global Internet access.

In addition, AT&T will continue to provide a sophisticated data transaction network for First Data's Western UnionÒ subsidiary. The Western Union and Orlandi Valuta network includes more than 202,000 agents in more than 195 countries and territories and allows consumers to efficiently transfer money to friends and relatives virtually anywhere in the world.

About First Data:

First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), with global headquarters in Denver, helps power the global economy.  As a leader in electronic commerce and payment services, First Data serves approximately 3.5 million merchant locations, 1,400 card issuers and millions of consumers, making it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses around the world to buy goods and services using virtually any form of payment.  With more than 30,000 employees worldwide, the company provides credit, debit, private-label, smart and stored-value card issuing and merchant transaction processing services; Internet commerce solutions; money transfer services; money orders; and check guarantee and verification services. The STAR® Network offers PIN-secured debit acceptance at 260,000 ATMs and one million point-of-sale locations nationwide. First Data also offers a variety of payment services to businesses around the world including those in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Panama, Brazil, China, the Netherlands, the Middle East and Germany.  Its Western Union and Orlandi Valuta money transfer networks include approximately 202,000 Agent locations in more than 195 countries and territories. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at www.firstdata.com.