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Company to Build 160 Cell Sites to Better Serve its ALLOVER(SM) Network Customers DALLAS, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the country's largest wireless provider, announced it will invest about $225 million during 2005 to install 160 new cell sites throughout its North Texas market as part of a $6.2 billion commitment to enhance and expand its ALLOVER(SM) network* nationwide. Cingular's North Texas market includes North, East, Central, West Texas and the Texas Panhandle. As part of that commitment, Cingular will build 74 cell sites in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; 46 in West Texas and El Paso, 36 in East and Central Texas, and six in the Panhandle and Amarillo. The network improvements will enable Cingular customers in North Texas to experience the highest level of voice service quality and offer some of the most advanced data services to more customers in more places. "Better coverage is what wireless consumers want, and better coverage is exactly what Cingular is delivering," said Adam Vital, Cingular's vice president and general manager. "We continually makes improvements to our network so that our customers have a quality wireless experience. Last year, Cingular invested $98 million and installed 170 new cell sites to improve service and offer enhanced services throughout North Texas. Cingular customers will have access to some 45,000 cell sites nationally by the end of 2006. The company already offers customers access to the largest digital voice and data network in America, and North Texas is an important part of that network. "This investment demonstrates our commitment to aggressively continue to provide better quality service to our customers," Vital said. "That strong customer focus is one of the reasons Cingular recently reached 50 million customers - the first wireless carrier to attain this important milestone. Customers know they can rely on us to meet their needs. That's why they choose us and why they stay with us." Cingular's ALLOVER network now covers more than 270 million people, and provides service throughout the United States including 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 50 million people. As part of its network build out and enhancement, Cingular has stepped up efforts to ensure its investments to extend coverage and enhance quality are realized. The company expects its employees and those of other third-party companies to drive test its network nearly 30 million miles over the next year - that's the equivalent of more than 50 round trips to the moon. 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(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 e-mailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/. DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless CONTACT: Frank Merriman of Cingular Wireless, +1-972-774-4802, or Web site: http://www.cingular.com/

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