Cingular Invests More Than $4 Million in Building the Best Network in Charleston

28 June 2006

Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier, reinforced its commitment of building the best wireless network in Charleston by investing more than $4 million in network enhancements in 2006 to expand coverage, increase capacity and meet growing customer demand. This is in addition to the company's $9 million in network investments last year, which included adding 10 new cell sites across the state.

Whether walking along the Kanawha River, taking a picnic lunch to Kanawha State Forest or visiting the Clay Center for the Fine Arts, Cingular customers throughout the Charleston area can depend on the most reliable wireless service in the region," said Chris Penrose, Cingular Vice President and General Manager for West Virginia and Virginia. "That's why more people in West Virginia choose Cingular than any other wireless provider."

Cingular's analysis of recent drive test information provided by Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. confirms that Cingular has the best-performing wireless network in Charleston as measured by a combination of fewest number of dropped calls and fewest call setup failures. Global Wireless Solutions is an independent research and advisory firm that provides information, insight and network performance measures for the wireless industry.

Enhancing the Network

"Our goal is simple: to give our customers the best possible wireless experience in West Virginia," said Penrose. "This means providing unmatched voice and data coverage in Charleston, Huntington and across the state."

Cingular will add thirteen new cell sites this year to expand and improve coverage in the Charleston area. This includes new sites in the towns of Pinch, Clendenin and Loundendale; a new site at the intersection of Greenbriar Street and I-64/77 in Charleston; two sites along I-79 between Amma and Wallbach; three sites on the Turnpike near Sharon and four sites on Route 119 between McCorkle and Chapmanville.

In addition, Cingular is beefing up indoor coverage at the State Capitol in Charleston and at the Toyota Plant in Buffalo to better serve employees and visitors. The company is further bolstering network reliability through network optimization efforts and by installing back-up generators at cell sites.

To accommodate the growing number of wireless users in Charleston, Cingular is boosting network capacity by adding more radios and channels to existing cell sites. Cingular's network can now carry more voice and data traffic than ever before, having increased capacity by more than 56 percent since January, 2005.

"Since merging with AT&T Wireless in late 2004, Cingular has invested more capital in West Virginia than spent in the previous three years combined," Penrose continued. "We're building on that commitment with another $20 million in capital expenditures this year."

Nationwide, Cingular Wireless will spend more than $6 billion on network enhancements this year. Wireless customers who choose Cingular in West Virginia will be using the world's most popular wireless technology, available in more than 200 countries and used by more than 70 percent of the global wireless market. With unparalleled international capabilities, Cingular's international roaming feature gives customers with compatible devices access to their voice and data services while abroad. .

Continuous Network Testing

Cingular Wireless monitors network performance 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure the network is operating at optimum levels. Cingular has a dedicated group of network engineers who drive more than 45,000 miles each year in West Virginia to test network quality and coverage. In addition, the company uses third-party vendors to independently assess network performance throughout the year.

About Cingular Wireless in West Virginia

Cingular Wireless employs more than 100 people in the state. Cingular Wireless products and services can be purchased at 8 company-owned retail locations and through 34 authorized agents and national retailers in West Virginia. Cingular Wireless is committed to providing great customer service and is a member of the Better Business Bureau of West Virginia.

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. (NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), 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/.

Source: prnewswire