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"Award is one of several presented to company in 2005 for supplier diversity achievements" ATLANTA, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- BellSouth Corporation's (NYSE:BLS) latest award for supplier diversity is Corporation of the Year presented by the Georgia Women's Business Council (GWBC). BellSouth received this honor for making significant advancements in implementing initiatives that increase spending with women business enterprises. This is the second consecutive year that BellSouth has received GWBC's Corporation of the Year Award. "We are honored to spotlight BellSouth's dedication to women business enterprises and look to other large corporations to emulate that commitment," said Janine Anthony, GWBC president. The GWBC is the official certification partner of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) in the State of Georgia. Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations. "We are very pleased to have our efforts recognized by the GWBC. Being proactive in creating partnerships with woman-, minority-, and disabled veteran-owned businesses is not only supportive of their success - it is key to the prosperity of the communities we serve and therefore, the growth of our own business," said BellSouth's Chief Procurement Executive Oscar Primelles. BellSouth's achievements in supplier diversity have been widely recognized at the local and national levels. Earlier this year, BellSouth was named one of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises by WBENC. Also in 2005, BellSouth has been honored as Corporation of the Year by the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, the South Regions Minority Business Council and as National Corporation of the Year by the Florida Regional Minority Business Council. DiversityBusiness.com ranked BellSouth sixth in its annual listing of America's Top 50 Corporations for providing multicultural business opportunities. And, for six consecutive years, BellSouth has ranked at the top of the NAACP's telecommunications industry report card. About BellSouth Corporation BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth has joint control and 40 percent ownership of Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless voice and data provider with 52.3 million customers. Backed by award-winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available in the market. Through BellSouth Answers(R), residential and small business customers can bundle their local and long distance service with dial-up and high-speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular(R) Wireless service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local and long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also offers online and directory advertising through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com(R) and The Real Yellow Pages(R). BellSouth believes that diversity and fostering an inclusive environment are critical in maintaining a competitive advantage in today's global marketplace. More information about BellSouth can be found at http://www.bellsouth.com/. About the Georgia Women's Business Council The mission of the Georgia Women's Business Council is to enhance the competitive value of women-owned business enterprises through certification, education and corporate partnership opportunities. More information about GWBC can be found at http://www.gwbc.biz/ DATASOURCE: BellSouth Corporation CONTACT: Angela Brooks of BellSouth, +1-404-249-2365 Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/ http://www.gwbc.biz/

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