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Cingular Wireless Raises the Bar for California Customers by Investing More Than $1 Billion Throughout the State Unprecedented Investment Will Enhance Service Quality and Expand Coverage for California Customers SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the country's largest wireless provider, today announced it will invest more than $1 billion throughout California in 2005 to install more than 730 new cell sites as part of a nationwide $6.2 billion commitment to enhance and expand its ALLOVER(SM) network*. The network improvements will enable Cingular customers throughout the state to experience the highest level of voice service quality and offer some of the most advanced wireless data services to more customers in more places. "Better wireless service is what consumers want statewide, and better coverage is exactly what Cingular is delivering," said Brian Shay, Regional President - West. "We are continually making improvements to our network so that our customers have the best wireless experience." Cingular's more than $1 billion commitment to California is a major initiative comprising more than twenty percent of the company's overall $6.2 billion investment in nationwide upgrades. Cingular customers will have access to some 40,000 cell sites nationally, the most of any U.S. carrier, by the end of 2005. The company already offers customers access to the largest digital voice and data network in America, and California is an important part of that network. Nearly two new cell sites are being installed every day in California to continue to meet the needs of Cingular customers. "We are raising the bar significantly with this investment, demonstrating our commitment to continue aggressively providing better quality service to our customers," said Shay. "That strong customer focus is one of the reasons Cingular serves more than 51 million customers -- the first and only domestic wireless carrier to attain this important growth milestone." To ensure that Cingular is successfully providing coverage for all its customers and to determine where more cell sites are needed, Cingular employees and third parties will drive 30 million miles around the country this year to test network coverage and quality. That's the equivalent of fifty round trips to the moon to ensure customers receive the best possible wireless experience in the United States. Along with drive-testing its own network, Cingular will drive-test competitors' networks to ensure that Cingular's coverage and quality are equal to or better than others providing service in the same areas. Cingular's ALLOVER network now covers more than 270 million people, and provides service throughout the United States, including in the top 100 markets. Customers on specific calling plans now have access to the largest mobile-to-mobile calling community in the country -- with free access to more than 51 million people. The company's network growth relies on advanced GSM/EDGE technology. GSM is the world standard for wireless communication, used by more than a billion people in 200-plus countries. In fact, more than 70 percent of the world's total wireless market is GSM. The widespread use of GSM offers Cingular customers the ability to use a large variety of GSM "world phones" and devices in more than 125 countries to make calls and access data services in more than 70 countries. For customers interested in wireless data services, the company's EDGE network -- the fastest national high-speed data network in America -- provides average data connections of up to 135 kilobits per second in more than 13,000 cities and towns and in areas along nearly 40,000 miles of highways. For more information about Cingular, please contact 1-866-CINGULAR or visit http://www.cingular.com/. * Coverage not available in all areas. About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 51.6 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://cingular.mediaroom.com/. DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless CONTACT: Art Navarro in Southern California, +1-562-468-6520, or wireless, +1-949-300-1329, or Michael Broom in Northern California, wireless, +1-925-216-8690, both of Cingular Wireless Web site: http://www.cingular.com/ http://cingular.mediaroom.com/

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