US TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant AT&T is set to continue its local hiring spree as Singapore takes on a greater role in its worldwide customer support network.

The company will increase the number of support staff here by more than 50 per cent in 2007. This translates to an addition of 120 technical and managerial positions to its Singapore-based customer service centres over the next nine months, according to Collis Loh, AT&T's country general manager.

AT&T upped its headcount by around 25 per cent last year and it currently has a sizeable local employee base of 374 workers.

'Singapore is the hub for the Asean and South Asia region', Mr Loh told reporters at a media briefing last week.

The manpower boost comes on top the firm's $3.5 million investment over the last few years to strengthen its so-called 'worldwide customer service operations' in Singapore.

The republic is fast becoming a crucial link in AT&T's global support network and the company has 220 workers who are constantly keeping a watchful eye over the host of services it offers to major customers.

Its locally-managed hosting operations facility now provides network support to the company's 32 Internet data centres that are located around the world. In addition, Singapore is also the support hub for the company's managed services customers in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan.

Beyond stepping up its support function, the company has opened a new facility in Singapore to showcase its solutions to prospective clients in Asia.

The freshly-minted briefing centre, AT&T's first in Asia, is designed to allow customers to test and evaluate the firm's offerings such as its disaster recovery and network-based firewall services. It is part of the company's US$750 million worldwide expansion plan this year.

Singapore is currently AT&T's revenue linchpin in the Asean and South Asian region, and was responsible for more than half of its regional sales in 2006.

This article first appeared in BT on March 26, 2007