DALLAS, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T plans to pilot a new service that arms companies with the ability to confirm the location of participating customers who opt-in to advanced protection against fraud when they travel internationally.  With this service, AT&T is adding a new capability to its Location Information Services portfolio, which helps businesses make financial and mobile transactions safer and easier for AT&T mobile subscribers.

AT&T plans to make the new Location Information Services capability available in more than 150 countries. The company will begin a pilot this summer, and expects to deploy the service to enterprise customers later this year.

The Nilson Report, a financial industry trade publication, shows the cost of global payment card fraud grew by 10.2 percent in 2013 to reach $12.42 billion¹. The top challenge in controlling international fraud last year was verification of customer identity, reports Javelin Strategy & Research.²

The new Location Information Services capability, which is enabled through an application program interface (API), can proactively notify companies when their customers who opt-in for the service arrive in a new country. For example-   

• A credit card company could confirm its customer has traveled to a new country as soon as she lands and turns on her mobile device.
• The capability can help credit card companies make more informed decisions, such as whether to approve or decline purchases in an international country.
• A company could also use the new capability to track the movement of equipment, which could help prevent stolen assets.
• A hospitality company may offer an enhanced experience for travelers and reference a customer's location to provide local restaurant listings

"Companies want to get ahead of customer expectations, offer new ways to solve challenges and differentiate from their competitors," said Laura Merling, Vice President of Business Digital Experience, AT&T. "Our new Location Information Services API does that by allowing enterprises to provide an extra layer of credit card security, keep track of valuable assets, and enhance a traveler's experience with timely local information."

The new Location Information Services capability allows businesses to access AT&T network data to locate a participating user's device to authenticate that users' location, helping to protect against potential fraud. This new capability builds on AT&T's Mobile Identity API Toolkit, which launched in December 2013. The Mobile Identity API Toolkit helps make mobile transactions safer by allowing businesses to authenticate the identities of AT&T subscribers on the AT&T network.

For a full list of AT&T's Location Information Services portfolio, visit www.att.com/locationbasedservices. To apply for access to the service, businesses should contact their account representative or send an email to enterpriseAPIs@att.com.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this press release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse^® brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Reliability: Based on 3d party data regarding nationwide carriers' 4G LTE. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G LTE not available everywhere.

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¹ "Global Card Fraud Losses Reach $11.27 Billion", The Nilson Report, Issue 1023, August 2013

² 2013 Identity Fraud Report: Data Breaches Become a Treasure Trove for Fraudsters, Javelin Strategy & Research, February 2013.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.