AT&T Powers AMI Platform From Itron

  Industry-Leading Wireless Solution Promotes Cost Savings for the Utility

                                  Industry



    DALLAS, Texas and LIBERTY LAKE, Wash., Aug. 18 /EMWNews/

-- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Itron Inc. (Nasdaq: ITRI) announced today that

Itron's industry-leading advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) solution will

be delivered over a cellular network that offers utility companies the

ability to cut costs, better manage resources and improve customer service.



    The solution integrates wide-area networking using AT&T's nationwide,

high speed cellular data network with Itron's OpenWay(R) local-area

networking to give utilities two-way communications for access to data from

meters throughout their systems. This combination allows utilities to

quickly collect, measure and manage energy usage and provide a more

reliable and affordable supply of power without having to build and operate

costly, proprietary communications networks.



    "The AT&T/Itron solution enables utilities to use proven

standards-based cellular technology for their Smart Grid AMI initiatives to

transport device data and control messaging more efficiently," said Regina

Egea, senior vice president, Business Marketing, AT&T Global Business

Services. "We are pleased to join with Itron to deliver a complete solution

that promises to help utility companies streamline operations while

gathering the critical information required to serve their customers."



    AT&T and Itron will jointly market Itron's OpenWay AMI solution to

utility companies in the United States. Their collaboration will bring a

host of benefits to utility companies including:






    -- Providing the ubiquitous coverage required for AMI data transmission.

    -- Giving utilities the timely data needed to promote energy management,

       demand response, detect outages and deliver more accurate billings

       statements to customers.

    -- Creating the potential to offer time-based pricing, prepaid power

       options and the ability to remotely switch service on or off.

    -- Allowing utilities to self-manage the deployment of AMI and Smart Grid

       devices through AT&T's ordering, activation and management systems for

       high-volume customers.

    -- Enabling seamless AMI project implementation by providing an

       experienced AMI team.



    "AT&T and Itron offer utility companies the unprecedented combination

of two industry-leading companies with the level of expertise required to

harness the power of wireless technology for AMI transport," said Philip

Mezey, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Itron North

America. "The time, resources and costs saved will be of tremendous

benefit, particularly in today's energy-strapped economy."



    According to industry experts, several factors are leading utilities to

find ways to increase the performance of their communications networks. The

North American Electric Reliability Council reports that the demand for

electricity is expected to rise 19 percent by 2010 or 141,000 megawatts

with only 57,000 megawatts of new resources currently identified.



    One solution to meet that growth in the electric utility industry is

the development of a Smart Grid that adds monitoring, control and

communications capabilities to the national electricity delivery system in

order to maximize the throughput of the system while reducing energy

consumption. AMI will allow homeowners and businesses to use electricity as

efficiently and economically as possible with features that allow

time-of-use pricing and programs such as voluntary energy curtailment in

which customers can sign up to have their residential energy consumption

managed automatically during times of peak usage.



    "Smart Grid and AMI will require ubiquitous communications networks

throughout utility service territories," said Warren Causey, vice

president, Sierra Energy Group. "As enablers of Smart Grid and AMI

initiatives, cellular technologies are receiving a great deal of increased

scrutiny as utilities seek cost-effective means of implementing

next-generation utility systems."



    AT&T offers a wide range of strategic mobility products and services to

the utility industry, including wireless solutions for field service

workers, outage detection and remote monitoring.



    OpenWay by Itron is a new-generation, open-architecture advanced

metering solution that provides full two-way communication to enable a

utility's smart grid as well as a built-in communications pathway to the

meter or other smart grid device that is fully compliant with the American

National Standards Institute C12.22 protocol for transport of device data

over a network. OpenWay delivers operational efficiency, empowers all

customers to participate in energy management and conservation and supports

smart energy transmission and distribution grids. The OpenWay system

remains independent of any particular communications technology. This means

multiple transport technologies, including mobile networks, can be

seamlessly integrated into a single system to deliver the best combination

of reliability and cost effectiveness.



    For more information on the AT&T and Itron relationship, visit

http://www.itron.com/att.

    About Itron



    Itron Inc. is a leading technology provider to the global energy and

water industries. Itron Inc. consists of Itron in North America and Actaris

outside of North America. Our company is the world's leading provider of

metering, data collection and utility software solutions, with nearly 8,000

utilities worldwide relying on our technology to optimize the delivery and

use of energy and water. Our products include electricity, gas and water

meters, data collection and communication systems, including automated

meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI); meter data

management and related software applications; as well as project

management, installation, and consulting services. To know more, start

here: http://www.itron.com.



    About AT&T



    AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its

subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of

AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their

offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications

services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and

voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory

publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and

YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators

in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen

integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In

2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired

Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired

Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and

the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is

available at http://www.att.com.



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