ATLANTA, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In anticipation of the quickly approaching 2006 hurricane season, Cingular Wireless has prepared the nation's largest digital voice and data network to weather this season's storms and is providing tips for consumers during a hurricane or other emergency situation.

Cingular has a rigorous hurricane and emergency preparedness program in place and conducts ongoing readiness drills throughout the year to ensure network facilities and personnel are ready to go at a moment's notice.

"We hope fewer storms will come ashore this year, but our employees have dedicated themselves year-round to ensuring we are prepared," said Cingular Chief Operating Officer Ralph de la Vega.

Network Preparedness and Reliability Resources

Cingular's Regional Network Operations Center (RNOC), located in Atlanta, monitors and maintains the network 24/7. This monitoring system allows Cingular to assess any emergency situation within minutes.

Cingular cell sites located in hurricane-prone areas are equipped with permanent or portable generators in the event of power outages, which are prevalent during storms. Cingular added 1,200 permanent and portable generators, for a total of more than 4,500. Additionally, Cingular backs up its cell sites with batteries to prevent outages related to power interruptions lasting less than 8 hours.

Cingular also has more than 50 Cells on Wheels, called "COWs," which are self-contained mobile cell sites that can be towed or driven into an area to provide extra call capacity or to restore communications following a disaster. The company's "COLTs," or Cells on Light Trucks, are smaller than COWs and can be driven where a mobile cell site is needed and include two masts for microwave antennas.

Tips for Consumers Before, During and After the Storm

Cingular also offers tips to help consumers understand what to expect when they use their cell phones or other wireless devices during an emergency and what they can do to prepare. The most important recommendation that can help customers reach friends and loved ones during a storm is the use of text messaging.

"We saw text messaging become an extremely useful tool in the Gulf Coast region during and after Hurricane Katrina," said de la Vega. "Text messaging is a reliable way to reach family and friends during severe weather and keeps voice channels open for access to first responders on the ground in storm- affected areas."

Text messages will often go through quicker than voice calls during an emergency situation. More than 95 percent of Cingular phones sold today are text message capable. Depending on your call plan, additional charges may apply.

Cingular also encourages consumers to do the following in advance of a storm:

- Program all of your emergency contact numbers into your cell phone, including the police department, fire station and hospital, as well as your family members. - Have a family communications plan in place. Designate someone out of the area as a central contact, and make certain all family members know who to contact if they become separated. - Keep your wireless phone batteries charged at all times. Have an alternate plan to recharge your battery in case of power outages (i.e. charging via your car charger, extra cell phone batteries, use of a disposable cell phone battery). - Keep your wireless phone dry. The biggest threat to your device during a hurricane is water, so keep your equipment safe from the elements. - Forward your home number to your wireless number in the event of an evacuation. Since call forwarding is based out of the telephone central office, you will get incoming calls from your landline phone, even if your local telephone service is disrupted at your home. In the unlikely event the central office is isolated, call forwarding may not work.

The following information will help customers stay in touch and maximize their wireless service during and after the storm:

- Keep non-emergency calls to a minimum. Chances are that if there is severe weather, many people will be attempting to place wireless calls to loved ones, friends and business associates. If the landline phones are not working, this probability increases. - Wait 10 seconds before redialing a call. On many wireless phones, to redial a number you simply push "send" after you've ended a call to redial the previous number. If you do this too quickly, the data from the phone to the cell site does not have enough time to clear and may contribute to network congestion. - Use your wireless phone to access weather and news updates. Many homes lose power during severe weather. If you have a wireless phone that provides access to the Internet, you can watch the latest weather and news reports. - Use your camera phone to snap, store and send photos of damaged property to your insurance company.

Cingular will provide updated information about its hurricane preparation at its dedicated website: http://www.cingularhurricaneupdates.com/. High resolution photos are also available for download on the site.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 55.8 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T 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 emailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.

CONTACT: Clay Owen of Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-6153, or
clay.owen@cingular.com

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