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Provides Engineers and Equipment to Aid in Wireless Restoration CHICAGO, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless markets across the country are providing Katrina relief efforts on many fronts to the Gulf Coast region. In Illinois and Wisconsin, Cingular has sent and will continue to send several wireless field technicians and equipment to aid in wireless restoration. "The impact from Katrina is on a scale that we've never seen before. Our network colleagues have been working around the clock in the affected areas trying to restore wireless service as quickly as possible -- many of them have lost their own homes in the disaster," said Terry Kyne, Cingular Wireless Executive Director of Network Services in Illinois and Wisconsin. In addition to field personnel, the market is sending 20 generators, 3 COWs (Cells on Wheels), 6 satellite phones, mobile and portable radios for communications, as well as specialized communication trucks for personnel. Network Restoration Continues Progress Cingular's first priority in the disasters has been to restore wireless service to our customers. Coverage for cell phone customers on the Cingular network in those areas hit hard by Hurricane Katrina continues to greatly improve. Service in Mobile, Jackson, Pensacola and Baton Rouge is back to normal. Crews are on the ground in New Orleans and some calls are going through in the New Orleans and Hammond areas. New Orleans continues to remain our top priority, and we have hundreds of technicians working to restore full service as quickly as possible. Restorations efforts are being executed out of the company's four staging areas located in Mobile (AL), Port Allen (LA), Lafayette and Tickfaw (LA). Emergency restoration crews are using back up generators and more than 30 COWs (Cells on Wheels) are available for use in affected areas. Since many of the remaining service outages are primarily due to power, we are working very closely with wireline and power companies. Cingular has deployed more than 500 generators and 240,000 gallons of fuel to support in restoration efforts. Cingular's efforts in Illinois and Wisconsin are part of a nationwide outreach to provide immediate relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The company is using a multi-pronged approach to raise millions of dollars for Katrina victims and to assist its own employees who have been affected by the disaster. Additional Cingular Wireless Efforts for Hurricane Victims: -- Establishment of the Cingular Cares Initiative The program will provide immediate relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina and will also establish a sustainable fund for providing assistance for future natural disasters. Cingular Cares will be a multi-million dollar effort funded through its employees, with a focus on providing assistance to its employees and others affected by natural disasters. -- Text Messaging Campaign Through the SMS capability on its handsets and PDAs, many Cingular customers are being contacted and asked if they would be interested in making a contribution to the American Red Cross' hurricane relief efforts. The FREE text message asks customers if they would like to donate $1.99. The customers are prompted to reply "yes" if they would like to give. The donation will be added to their bill, and the American Red Cross will receive all donations. -- In-Store Collections As of September 3, Cingular's more than 2,300 stores nationwide are serving as collection points for donations to the American Red Cross. The stores will be able to accept cash, checks, credit cards or debit cards. Customer Service Cingular is committed to supporting those individuals in those impacted areas and is reviewing its customer service practices regarding replacement equipment for water-damaged phones and billing/credits, so the company can accommodate the special needs of these customers. These include helping speed the insurance claims process for customers with equipment insurance. The company also is offering batteries and car adapters at discounted rates within those impacted markets. Sufficient inventories of equipment are on hand in our Gulf Coast stores. In addition, until the destructive situation in the Gulf has stabilized, Cingular will not be disconnecting service to those impacted customers whose service has been disrupted as a result of Hurricane Katrina has and will suspend all collections activity. Going forward, Cingular will work with affected customers on a case-by-case basis to make payment arrangements. Customers with additional questions should call our Customer Care center at 1-866-CINGULAR. Please visit http://www.cingularhurricaneupdates.com/ for regular updates. 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: Christopher Comes of Cingular Wireless, +1-312-282-0539, or Web site: http://www.cingular.com/

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