GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's largest wireless carrier is growing its network and enhancing coverage in North and South Carolina. Cingular Wireless has added nine new cell sites in the western areas of the Carolinas, ensuring customers stay connected.

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These new cell sites are some of the more than 300 new Cingular cell sites planned for North and South Carolina before the end of 2006. The company has already added more than 200 new cell sites across the Carolinas in the last eight months, enhancing wireless service for those who live, work and play in the region's mountains, Midstate, and Lowcountry.

These new sites bring new or enhanced coverage to the following areas: * In Marshall County, N.C., new coverage along Business US 25/70 and for the surrounding residential areas. * In Transylvania County, N.C., new coverage along U.S. Hwy. 64 around Lake Toxaway and the surrounding resort and residential areas. * In Macon County, improved coverage for travelers along U.S. Hwy. 64 between Highlands and Franklin, N.C. * In Madison County, N.C., new coverage along I-26 between Little Creek and the Tennessee state line and along U.S. Hwy. 23. * In Cherokee County, N.C., enhanced coverage for Hwys. 141, 19, 74 and 129, south of Marble and between Andrews and Murphy. * Enhanced coverage along Hwys. 76, 252 and 178 and the growing residential areas east of the city of Anderson, S.C. * Southeast of Pacolet, in Spartanburg County, S.C., enhanced coverage for travelers on Hwy. 150 and the growing residential areas near Croft State Park. * In Spartanburg County, S.C., enhanced coverage along Hwy. 221 and for the new residential areas south of Chesnee. * Enhanced coverage in Pickens County, S.C., along Hwy. 93 and for the west side of the town of Liberty.

"These nine new cell sites will provide both residents and visitors to this beautiful area with a better network, better coverage, and better service," said Alison Hall, vice president and general manager for Cingular's North and South Carolina market. "From Murphy to Charleston, from Greenville to Raleigh, Cingular wants to provide our Carolinas customers with the very best possible wireless network."

Cingular Wireless plans to spend more than $385 million on its Carolinas network before year-end, increasing coverage and capacity, building more than 300 new cell sites, adding portable generators and back-up batteries, and offering enhanced new features. Significantly, Cingular recently launched its third-generation (3G) wireless network technology in 16 major cities, with more to follow across the country, including the Carolinas. 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 400-700 Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink and bursts to more than a megabit per second. Cingular's local investment is part of a more than $6 billion commitment to enhance and expand its ALLOVER(R) network nationwide this year.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 57.3 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(R) 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: 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/
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