AT&T Inc. and WilliamsF1 today announced a multiyear agreement that makes AT&T the title sponsor for the race team. Starting with the 2007 season, the team will be known as the AT&T WilliamsF1 Team.

The agreement brings together two of the most valued brands in their respective industries. AT&T is a global leader in communications and has been synonymous with communications innovation for more than 130 years. AT&T delivers to its customers the world’s most complete and secure network that reaches millions of customers worldwide with more than 44,000 points of presence in 149 countries.

"Formula 1 provides a unique platform for a global brand like AT&T," said Mark Keiffer, AT&T chief marketing officer. "The shared values of AT&T and Williams — a dedication to innovation, speed, integrity and commitment to absolute excellence — are highly complementary. We expect that the relationship between Williams and AT&T will be a key global marketing platform for our enterprise division."

WilliamsF1 is a racing company founded 30 years ago by racing purists whose "sole business is racing." WilliamsF1 maintains a winning tradition that includes 113 Grand Prix victories and 16 World Championships including seven Drivers and nine Constructors Championships.

Frank Williams, the team principal of the AT&T WilliamsF1 Team said, "It is a great privilege for WilliamsF1 to be an ambassador for a brand of the global size, scale and reputation of AT&T. It is our firm commitment to represent their interests to the very best of our ability on the race track and assist with the communication of their service offer that we, too, will have the significant benefit of being able to utilise."

The relationship with the team will provide AT&T with a global showcase for its products and services and will contribute to the performance and success of the AT&T WilliamsF1 Team.

Real-time, robust and secure communications are vital for a Formula 1 team and the sport is at the forefront of technology. During a race, the AT&T WilliamsF1 Team will constantly analyze real-time data in an attempt to improve performance by fractions of a second.

During any given race, the teams will transmit more than 15GB of data thousands of miles for instant analysis by off-site race engineers.

AT&T will support the team with the deployment of an Internet-based Virtual Private Network (VPN) to support data applications and voice communications, mobility solutions for the team, and advanced hosting and security services.

AT&T will connect the team’s headquarters near Oxford in the U.K. with key partners and with Grand Prix race locations around the world for the team, managing data communications during race events and at F1 testing sessions.