News Release

AT&T Wins New Contract From Allied Electronics

FORT WORTH, Texas – AT&T today announced that it has successfully implemented an Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) for Allied Electronics, a distributor of electronic and electromechanical component products, under a $2.1 million contract. AT&T also won an additional $1.4 million contract to extend and expand voice networking services for the company. Both contracts run for three years.

AT&T is providing a high-speed data network that connects Allied Electronics’ local sales offices directly to each other and to the company’s headquarters and prioritizes traffic so that critical functions are not compromised by limited bandwidth. The new voice networking agreement will save the company an estimated 30 percent. Combined, the AT&T data and voice solutions also pave the way for Allied Electronics to implement Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.

“With a proven track record, best-in-class service and ability to focus multiple resources on our issues, AT&T clearly has the competitive advantage,” said Rick Davidson, director of technology for Allied Electronics. “By selecting AT&T for all our data and voice networking services, we have set the foundation for a corporate-wide VoIP implementation beginning later this year.”

About Allied Electronics

Allied Electronics’ headquarters are located in Fort Worth, Texas with 57 sales branches across the United States and Canada. Allied is a subsidiary of Electrocomponents plc (LSE: ECM), the world leading catalog component distributor. Electrocomponents has operations in six continents and headquarters in Oxford, England.  For more information, visit www.alliedelec.com.

About AT&T

For more than 125 years, AT&T (NYSE 'T') has been known for unparalleled quality and reliability in communications. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company is a global leader in local, long distance, Internet and transaction-based voice and data services.