NEW YORK – In a first for a wireless carrier, AT&T Inc. said that it will use its phones’ location-sensing ability to target text ads with coupons and other offers to participating subscribers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.

Kmart, part of Sears Holdings Corp., has signed up for “ShopAlerts by AT&T.” That means AT&T could send discount offers to subscribers who are close to a Kmart store.

AT&T is only able to locate its subscribers to within a mile or so, so its ability to sense that subscribers are in a receptive mood for the offer — like when they’re heading to shop — is limited.

The service locates subscribers based on which cell towers communicate with their phones, rather than using the more accurate Global Positioning System chips that many phones have.

JetBlue Airways Corp. is another participant and could use AT&T’s service to send promotions when passengers are approaching an airport.

AT&T subscribers who want to get the ads need to sign up on the company’s website.