LAS VEGAS, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- In addition to the $46 million investment previously announced in June 2006, Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier and now part of the new AT&T, invested an additional $40 million for a total of $86 million in the greater Las Vegas area upgrading and expanding service. The local investment is part of the wireless company's estimated $6 billion national network capital expenditure program during 2006.

Last year, AT&T's wireless unit built 59 new cell sites, added coverage, enhanced high-speed 3G service and added network capacity. It has invested nearly $214 million and added 144 new cell sites in the area over the last two years. As a result, the company's ALLOVER(TM) network* -- the largest digital voice and data network -- has grown bigger, better and more powerful in greater Las Vegas.

Areas where a majority of the service improvements took place include North Las Vegas, Summerlin, Green Valley, including Boulder City and along the I-15 freeway through Primm.

"2006 has proven to be an unprecedented year for us in greater Las Vegas," said Tammi Terrell, vice president and general manager for the company's SD/LV/HI markets. "We completed a major expansion initiative and added to our 3G (third generation) high-speed network. That's an exceptional achievement that positions us for the future."

Over the last two years, Cingular has spent more than $13.5 billion nationally in an aggressive program to upgrade and expand wireless service and now gives customers access to some 45,000 cell sites -- more than any other wireless carrier in the country.

Terrell added, "And now as part of AT&T, we will continue our momentum and focus on delivering a strong network and pleasant in-store customer experience in 2007.

The company's 3G service is based on High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology and is the first widely available HSDPA deployment in the world. This advanced network allows high-speed access to cell phones designed for the higher speed and processes wireless data over high-speed-capable phones or on a laptop. Customers can now more quickly access e-mail, browse the internet, connect to business applications, or watch video clips while on- the-go.

AT&T's 3G wireless network allows customers to download at average data speeds between 400-700 Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink, with bursts to more than a megabit per second. In Las Vegas, the company's high-speed network footprint includes more than 296 cell sites with 3G services offered in areas including metropolitan Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson. Nationwide, 3G service is available in more than 160 markets, including most of the top 100 major cities in the country.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company in the United States and around the world, with operating subsidiaries providing services under the AT&T brand. AT&T is the recognized world leader in providing IP-based communications services to business and the U.S. leader in providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of its "three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video entertainment offerings to include such next-generation television services as AT&T U-verse(SM) TV. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.

AT&T is a registered trademark of AT&T Knowledge Ventures. Subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T brand. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

*The ALLOVER(TM) network covers more than 273 million people. Coverage not available in all areas.

CONTACT: Art Navarro, +1-562-468-6520, office, +1-949-300-1329,
wireless, or art.navarro@cingular.com, of Cingular Wireless

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