The initiatives include increasing AT&T's network reach and building a stronger local presence. In addition, AT&T is hosting some of its largest global customers for an advisory meeting during the exhibition.

AT&T announced that its network node being deployed in Jeddah in cooperation with Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC) and NavLink, a company within which AT&T maintains a minority shareholding, is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2007. The agreement to deploy this node was announced at Gulfcomms last year.

The advanced data infrastructure will allow AT&T and NavLink customers to directly interconnect to STC's nationwide Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network, the largest and most advanced MPLS network in the Middle East region.