• by Wayne Friedman , February 2, 2009

AT&T made its official switch to DirecTV on Monday, packaging the satellite TV distributor into the communication company's bundling deals that can include TV, broadband, home phone and wireless services.

AT&T ended its alliance with Dish Network, with which the communications company had a long-time relationship. DirecTV now is the exclusive satellite partner for the three largest U.S. telcos, including Verizon Communications and Qwest Communications International.

Back in September, AT&T announced the change to DirecTV.

Consumers can get DirecTV through AT&T in 22 states where AT&T operating companies offer wired residential broadband and voice services. They can also receive exclusive ongoing discounts when combined with other AT&T services.

In a release, Jeff Weber, AT&T vice president of video services, said: "By combining the strengths of our companies, we're well-positioned to grow our subscriber base and build the foundation for future innovative features and integrated services."

The AT&T-DirecTV introductory one-year service starts at $29.99 per month for the Family package with 45 channels. Different network packages climb to a top level of 265 channels, which include pay TV movie and pay TV sports packages for $79.99 per month for 12 months.

Separately, AT&T California today announced the availability of AT&T U-verse Voice in parts of the Greater Los Angeles area. The service is a digital voice service delivered over the company's U-verse Internet Protocol network.