• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, December 5, 2012

Following a pilot program last year, AT&T on Wednesday announced the national rollout of a location-based service that sends users alerts about sales or promotions from nearby retailers and brands using geo-fencing technology.

To receive AT&T Alerts (formerly ShopAlerts), wireless customers text “JOIN” to ATTAlerts to opt in and begin receiving discounts and offers from participating brands including Gap, Staples, Zales, Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Duracell, Motorola, Discover. People can customize offer preferences and text messages to and from the service are free

To help entice users, AT&T is offering new sign-ups $5 off a purchase of $10 or more of accessories at ATT.com through June 30, 2013. But iPhone 5 owners will have to wait since AT&T Alerts isn’t yet available for the latest Apple handset model.

AT&T Mobility head Ralph de la Vega said separately today that the carrier expects to have a record quarter for smartphone sales, with 6.4 million units already sold through October and November. Overall, he projects AT&T will sell 26 million smartphones this year, a million more than previously expected.