AT&T to add 3,000 jobs

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- AT&T plans to add 3,000 jobs in 2009 as part of a multibillion-dollar capital-spending plan, the telecommunications company said Tuesday.

In a press release, AT&T said it would spend $17 billion to $18 billion this year, with two-thirds of the funds pledged to build up its wireless and broadband networks to provide more coverage.

As part of its expansion plan, the company will add almost 3,000 jobs in 2009 to support increased customer demand for wireless, broadband and video.

AT&T said its data traffic has grown, on average, more than 50% year-over-year.

"Demand for broadband continues to grow as new applications emerge and customers embrace them," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive said in the release. "We expect demand will only escalate when the larger economy rebounds."

Despite the job additions in its wireless and broadband units, AT&T expects to proceed with the nearly 12,000 job cuts it announced in December due to economic pressures, restructuring and consumers' shift from wired voice services to wireless and broadband.

AT&T also said it will expand its high-speed wireless service to 20 new markets this year, in addition to creating 2,100 new cell sites across the country.

Shares of AT&T (T, Fortune 500) jumped more than 5% to $22.92 in the final half hour of Tuesday trading.