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Cingular Wins 'Sole Provider' High-Speed Data Contract With State of Tennessee Cingular Users Benefit from Network Enhancements Giving Them Exclusive In-Building Coverage in Important State Buildings and Offices NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless has been designated by the State of Tennessee as the sole provider of high-speed wireless data services to all state agencies, Cingular announced today. This marks the third contract that Cingular has won from the State of Tennessee in the last 12 months. To complement the voice and data services used by the state, Cingular recently completed a significant network enhancement in downtown Nashville. As a result, Cingular is now the only wireless provider to offer in-building voice and data coverage to the State Capital, the War Memorial Building, Legislative Plaza and both levels of the underground parking garage. Under the exclusive high-speed data contract, Cingular Wireless will provide the state with Sony Ericsson GC-83 PC modem cards -- enabled for Cingular's nationwide* EDGE network -- for up to several thousand laptop computers used by state workers. Employees will use the state's Laptop Connect application in conjunction with Cingular's EDGE data services to remotely access in near real-time their daily schedules as well as information related to such areas as social services, probation, auditing and field reporting. The contract also gives local governments the opportunity to purchase GC-83 cards and EDGE service from Cingular. Cingular's EDGE network is the fastest national wireless data network in the U.S., with availability in 13,000 cities and towns and along 40,000 miles of interstate highways across the country. "The reach and robustness of Cingular's nationwide EDGE network gives State of Tennessee employees the ability to take even more of the office with them when they are out on state business within Tennessee and elsewhere in the country," said Chris Hill, vice president of government solutions, Cingular Wireless. "Cingular is pleased to play a role in helping state employees be even more efficient and productive, and get more state business done when they are on the road." Cingular also is the exclusive provider of BlackBerry(TM) wireless e-mail services for the State of Tennessee through a contract awarded in June 2004. The state already has deployed several hundred BlackBerry devices among its employees. To support its contracts with the State of Tennessee, Cingular enhanced its network in downtown Nashville. "Legislative Plaza, the parking garage and the basement of the Capital Building are all located underground and previously had no coverage from any wireless carrier," said Bill Plantz, executive director, network operations, for Cingular Wireless - Tennessee/Kentucky. "To resolve this issue and to make the state's Cingular voice and data services more accessible, we installed cell site equipment in the parking garage and a dedicated antenna system throughout all of the state buildings." Overall, Cingular installed 42 antennas covering thousands of square feet of office and conference room space, enabling the company to enhance the state's voice, BlackBerry and EDGE services. Any Cingular Wireless customer inside the buildings and parking garage will benefit from these network enhancements. Cingular continues to improve its network coverage and performance. In 2004, over $125 million dollars were invested in the network infrastructure in the Tennessee/Kentucky region. In 2005, the company plans to spend millions of additional dollars in Tennessee/Kentucky to integrate the Cingular and former AT&T Wireless networks, increase coverage and capacity, build new cell sites, add portable generators and back-up batteries, and offer enhanced new features. *Coverage not available in all areas About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 50.4 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(SM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(SM), 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://www.cingular.com/newsroom . DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless CONTACT: Calie Shackleford, +1-615-221-3690, or , or John Kampfe, +1-908-696-4536, or wireless, +1-908-432-3473, both of Cingular Wireless Web site: http://www.cingular.com/ http://www.cingular.com/newsroom

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