AT&T has predicted that this Mother's Day will break all records for long-distance calling on holidays.
The company predicted its network would carry approximately 46 million long-distance calls Sunday, besting the long-distance holiday record set last Christmas by about 2 million calls.This is the first Mother's Day that AT&T's Worldwide Intelligent Network will speed calls to their destination using a new "dynamic routing" system. The system, completed last fall, uses digital technology to search the network for open pathways and complete 99.9 percent of customer calls on the first try.
This is particularly important on holidays when calling patterns are vastly different from a typical business day. Calling is heaviest between metropolitan areas on business days, and between suburban areas on holidays. Holiday calls also last about twice as long as business-day calls.
Most of Sunday's calls - 32.5 million - will be made between states, but AT&T also expects to handle some 10.7 million calls within individual states. The company predicted 2.8 million international calls, reaching many of the 250 countries and territories linked to its long- distance network.
Mother's Day is traditionally the second busiest calling holiday of the year, behind Christmas. AT&T's night/weekend discount of 50 percent will be in effect until 5 p.m. Sunday, when the evening discount of 35 percent begins. The night/weekend discount begins again at 11 p.m. Callers in the continental United States who dial directly during AT&T's night/weekend period can talk to mom for 20 minutes for less than $3, even on a coast-to-coast call.