AT&T to move headquarters to Dallas

[Divine Discontent]

Source: AP

DALLAS - AT&T Inc., the nation's largest telecommunications company, said Friday it is moving its corporate headquarters to Dallas from San Antonio for easier access to customers and operations around the world.

AT&T said the move would begin within weeks and is expected to be complete around the end of the year.

The move will put AT&T closer to many of its technology suppliers and help cement the Dallas area as a telecom hub. Nokia Corp., Nortel Networks Corp., Ericsson and others have major operations here.

AT&T expects the move to involve about 700 of its nearly 6,000 San Antonio-based employees.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25417174/

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Is this for easier spying? or have they already got that down to a science?



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[merwin]

1. The spying takes place at the regional switches, not the corporate headquarters.

This is purely motivated by money, i assume.

[FarCenter]

2. Dallas has a major hub airport

Plus, a number of major telecom equipment suppliers are located there.

Dallas is also major hub on the southern east-west fiberoptic routes, but that is probably not a big motivation.

[Gman]

3. Randal Stephenson, the new CEO of AT&T

has no personal ties to San Antonio as Ed Whitacre did. The people that moved to San Antonio from St. Louis when Whitacre moved the then Southwestern Bell Corp. never did like it and did a lot of complaining, but that's what Whitacre wanted to do.

AT&T really provided very few good high paying jobs for San Antonians. Probably 85% of the corporation staff are not from San Antonio anyway and would rather not be there. Of the 15% from San Antonio, all but a few are executive assistants (i.e. secretaries).

Overall it's some pretty lame excuses as to why AT&T is moving. With several corporate jets parked at the SA International Airport, the lack of flights thing is lame. And one of the biggest telecommunications companies is moving to be closer to vendors, rather than the vendors coming to the customer to make the sale? That's lame too.

Fact is, Randal, et al don't like being in San Antonio, never did, never will. And they're moving because they can, and that's pretty much it.

Don't let the door hit you in the ass, Randal.

[pstokely]

4. Where is most of the corporate staff from?

St Louis?

[Gman]

6. Originally in 1992, St. Louis

Now they pretty much come from areas and states where AT&T is the dominant telephone company... CA, Chicago/the Midwest (including the original 5 SW Bell states), and now likely the Southern Bell states.

[FarCenter]

7. They were not happy campers

But Whitacre was the CEO, so headquarters was moved.

If you work for a national company, the Texas branch is the biggest bunch of assholes about moving stuff to Texas.

[MilesColtrane]

5. Bush and Cheney retire to Dallas.

AT&T moves it's headquarters to Dallas.

Just a coincidence.

[Divine Discontent]

8. thank you...

I don't trust them, no one should, and this makes ya wonder if they're prepping (of course they are, they always are)

[pop goes the weasel]

9. SA is probably too Democratic for them

It's essentially a blue collar city with frequent outbursts of grass-roots populism. They'll feel more at home with the big hair and bidness climate of Dallas.

[bamacrat]

10. This is good news for me.

I work for AT&T in Alabama and am moving to Dallas fall 09. Not sure if i want to continue working for them just because of the fact the they aided the govt in spying on us, but on the other hand it might be hard to find a company that is a global corporation that isnt in the govts pocket/bent over the political rail. There are lots of opportunities in Dallas that may be better than att. I was in San Antonio this past weekend, couldnt really tell how it was due to the extremely high amount of road construction, made it a bit hectic. Wish I were moving to Austin.