Frost & Sullivan Recognizes AT&T’s Innovation Leadership

Throughout its 136-year history, AT&T* has continuously evolved its innovation ecosystem to improve lives, empower individuals and bring the future to consumers faster. Recognizing the company’s strategic approach to innovation that accounts for both internal and external market factors, Frost & Sullivan today honored AT&T with the North American Information & Communication Technology Award in Emerging Market Innovation Leadership**.

AT&T’s performance was benchmarked against key competitors using Frost & Sullivan’s customized Decision Support Matrix, an analytical tool that uses quantitative and qualitative metrics to compare best practices across multiple business categories. The evaluation revealed the following strengths of AT&T’s strategy, enabling the company to lead the industry in innovation:

• Injects innovation into daily operations – At a corporate level, AT&T both implements and nurtures innovation, creating an environment where ideas are incubated and proven, driving an organizational transformation and increasing revenue
• Localizes for emerging markets – Differing audiences and challenges are addressed by providing third-party developers with access to AT&T’s network, tools and platforms, enabling end-to-end automation and seamless integration of new innovations
• Reduces complexity and improves compatibility – AT&T simplifies and accelerates the innovation process by providing developers with the resources and expertise they need to build new applications and services that are compatible with existing networks while still adapting to a market-specific format in real time
• Aligns with regional client needs – AT&T refined operational processes to focus on technological innovationand the creation of unique solutions in order to provide a significant value to clients and allow for a targeted cost-down, revenue-generation approach that enables growth
• Integrates globally and adapts locally – Through the AT&T Foundry®, AT&T collaborates with third-parties, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs around the world to share the expertise, connections and resources needed to quickly turn ideas into reality, solving market-specific challenges while linking systems and individuals across regions and countries

“AT&T has taken innovation to a new high, successfully overcoming the challenges typically experienced by large global corporations in transforming business and processes,” said Nalinee Giri, Research Analyst, Frost & Sullivan. “The company’s robust innovation program enabled AT&T to establish a strong foothold in emerging markets, placing AT&T in a prime position to operate with the agility, flexibility and foresight needed to cater to a diverse audience and drive technological advancements both internally and externally.”