NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier, is investing more than $235 million in its Tennessee network in 2006, bringing customers even more wireless services, call quality and coverage in their homes, on the road, and at the office.

The 2006 investment in Cingular's Tennessee network will bring 113 new cell sites, high-speed data services, the addition of portable and permanent generators, the integration of the network assets of the former AT&T Wireless, and other enhancements to Cingular's ALLOVER(TM) Network, which is the nation's largest all-digital voice and data network.

In 2005, Cingular invested more than $160 million here in Tennessee on network improvements. Nationwide, the company spent $6.5 billion on its network and plans to do the same in 2006, bringing its overall investment since the company's 2004 acquisition of AT&T Wireless to more than $13 billion.

"Our ongoing focus is ensuring Cingular customers have the best wireless experience possible -- which includes unmatched coverage and quality of service," said Jim Thorpe, vice president & general manager, Cingular Wireless Tennessee and Kentucky. "This network investment will enable us to continue to bring residents of Tennessee the highest quality service available -- service that is enhanced by best-in-industry calling plan value and cutting- edge devices."

Network enhancements planned for 2006 in Tennessee include: - Enhanced coverage at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville and in the surrounding area - Expanded coverage for students and staff at UT-Chattanooga and those living and working near campus - Enhanced coverage in and around the Bristol Regional Medical Center - Enhanced coverage for patients, staff and visitors to Chattanooga's Memorial Hospital - Expanded coverage for residents of east Morristown, northeast of Knoxville, and those traveling along Interstate 81 - New coverage for residents of Scott County, between Huntsville and Oneida and along Hwy. 27 - Enhanced coverage for residents of Belfast, between Lewisburg and Shelbyville, and along Hwy. 271 - Expanded coverage at the Tennessee Technology Center in west Memphis and for those living and working in the area and traveling on Interstate 40 - Other substantial coverage enhancements for the Tri-Cities area (Johnson City, Bristol and Kingsport)

By the end of the first quarter of 2006, Cingular will have completed the AT&T Wireless network integration in more than 70 percent of its Southeast cities. In Tennessee, the network integrations in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Clarksville/Hopkinsville and Dyersburg are complete, with Memphis to follow soon. Network integration involves choosing the best cell sites from both networks, eliminating duplicate equipment, and combining the technologies onto a common network platform.

Significantly, Cingular recently launched its third-generation (3G) wireless network technology in 16 major cities, with more to follow across the country, including more than 20 in the Southeast. With 3G, customers will access information and applications at broadband speeds in the office, on the road or at home. The service -- via laptop data cards or 3G-compatible phones this year -- provides average mobile data connections between 400-700Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink with bursts to more than a megabit per second.

"Last year, we invested over $1.8 billion in our network and added more than 780 cell sites in the Southeast Region alone -- 2006 will be another landmark year for the Southeast and for Tennessee," said Steve Sitton, president, Southeast Region, Cingular Wireless. "Network integration further improves our already stellar coverage and call capacity, while our 3G technology gives our customers a powerful network of broadband speeds and ubiquitous voice and data service."

Network Testing

Cingular diligently monitors the quality and coverage of its network. In addition to third-party vendors who assess the company's network performance, Cingular network engineers constantly monitor the network, driving approximately 450,000 miles of highway across Tennessee, Kentucky, and Southern Indiana each year to ensure our network is operating at peak efficiency. That's equivalent to more than 17 trips around the world.

Enhancing the Customer Experience

Thanks to its advanced network, Cingular customers use the best services that wireless can offer. For example, customers can choose from an exciting array of wireless devices including the recently launched Motorola SLVR, Cingular's second handset capable of downloading iTunes directly from a PC. Another of many innovative services available is Cingular Sounds Live, which will utilize the company's on-demand streaming video service, Cingular Video(TM), so that customers can watch concert highlights on their 3G-compatible wireless phones.

Additionally the company offers an interactive mapping tool at all retail locations and by calling 1-866-CINGULAR. The tool provides customers with up-to-date wireless coverage information and is designed to answer a customer's specific wireless coverage questions based on an address, street intersection, zip code or even a landmark. This tool will soon be available online to current Cingular customers and to those shopping for cellular service.

For more information about Cingular, call 1-866-CINGULAR or visit http://www.cingular.com/

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 54.1 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., , and BellSouth Corporation , has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases e-mailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/

CONTACT: Laurie Parker of Cingular Wireless, +1-615-221-3690, or
Wireless, +1-615-202-3463, or Laurie.parker@cingular.com

Web site: http://www.cingular.com/
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/