AT&T said it would offer its fixed-wireless service to residences in the Fort Worth, Texas, area.

The service is the company's ambitious project to provide high-speed Internet access and traditional telephone service to customers using radio waves. The service, dubbed "AT&T Digital Broadband," is an important part of the company's effort to bypass the copper-wire networks of its Baby Bell rivals. It also is a critical component of the tracking stock AT&T plans to issue in an initial public offering of its wireless business this spring.

The fixed-wireless service will offer telephone and data services on a single bill. Traditional voice service will start at $29.95 a month and high-speed Internet service will start at $34.95 a month. Consumers will need an antenna, in the form of a small box, affixed to the side of the house, and a small battery pack for use as a back-up power supply.

In addition to telemarketing, bill inserts and newspaper ads to promote the service, the company plans to cover Fort Worth with 100,000 pieces of direct mail over the next few weeks, said Michael Keith, the executive vice president in charge of the fixed-wireless unit. AT&T plans to use the technology in markets where it doesn't have cable holdings or reasonable prospects for a partnership with the local cable operator. AT&T's fixed-wireless customers are taking an average of 1.5 phone lines plus data service, which are "awesome" numbers, said Brian Adamik, a senior vice president with the Yankee Group. Adamik, who saw the technology firsthand in Texas this week, said he was particularly impressed with a home-networking option that permits customers to hook several computers onto the fast data connection. "You can basically have several people online at the same time sharing bandwidth," Adamik said. "That's some pretty compelling stuff." "There's no question customers like it. It's dependable and it is ready for prime time," said Keith.

For an explanation of Project Angel see PlanWireless.