Cingular Wireless Investing $235 Million in Its Tennessee Network in 2006
23 Mars 2006 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
- New Cell Sites, Enhanced Voice/Data Quality and Capacity for
ALLOVER(TM) Network NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 23 /PRNewswire/ --
Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier, is
investing more than $235 million in its Tennessee network in 2006,
bringing customers even more wireless services, call quality and
coverage in their homes, on the road, and at the office. The 2006
investment in Cingular's Tennessee network will bring 113 new cell
sites, high-speed data services, the addition of portable and
permanent generators, the integration of the network assets of the
former AT&T Wireless, and other enhancements to Cingular's
ALLOVER(TM) Network, which is the nation's largest all-digital
voice and data network. In 2005, Cingular invested more than $160
million here in Tennessee on network improvements. Nationwide, the
company spent $6.5 billion on its network and plans to do the same
in 2006, bringing its overall investment since the company's 2004
acquisition of AT&T Wireless to more than $13 billion. "Our
ongoing focus is ensuring Cingular customers have the best wireless
experience possible -- which includes unmatched coverage and
quality of service," said Jim Thorpe, vice president & general
manager, Cingular Wireless Tennessee and Kentucky. "This network
investment will enable us to continue to bring residents of
Tennessee the highest quality service available -- service that is
enhanced by best-in-industry calling plan value and cutting- edge
devices." Network enhancements planned for 2006 in Tennessee
include: - Enhanced coverage at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in
Blountville and in the surrounding area - Expanded coverage for
students and staff at UT-Chattanooga and those living and working
near campus - Enhanced coverage in and around the Bristol Regional
Medical Center - Enhanced coverage for patients, staff and visitors
to Chattanooga's Memorial Hospital - Expanded coverage for
residents of east Morristown, northeast of Knoxville, and those
traveling along Interstate 81 - New coverage for residents of Scott
County, between Huntsville and Oneida and along Hwy. 27 - Enhanced
coverage for residents of Belfast, between Lewisburg and
Shelbyville, and along Hwy. 271 - Expanded coverage at the
Tennessee Technology Center in west Memphis and for those living
and working in the area and traveling on Interstate 40 - Other
substantial coverage enhancements for the Tri-Cities area (Johnson
City, Bristol and Kingsport) By the end of the first quarter of
2006, Cingular will have completed the AT&T Wireless network
integration in more than 70 percent of its Southeast cities. In
Tennessee, the network integrations in Nashville, Chattanooga,
Knoxville, Clarksville/Hopkinsville and Dyersburg are complete,
with Memphis to follow soon. Network integration involves choosing
the best cell sites from both networks, eliminating duplicate
equipment, and combining the technologies onto a common network
platform. Significantly, Cingular recently launched its
third-generation (3G) wireless network technology in 16 major
cities, with more to follow across the country, including more than
20 in the Southeast. With 3G, customers will access information and
applications at broadband speeds in the office, on the road or at
home. The service -- via laptop data cards or 3G-compatible phones
this year -- provides average mobile data connections between
400-700Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink with bursts to
more than a megabit per second. "Last year, we invested over $1.8
billion in our network and added more than 780 cell sites in the
Southeast Region alone -- 2006 will be another landmark year for
the Southeast and for Tennessee," said Steve Sitton, president,
Southeast Region, Cingular Wireless. "Network integration further
improves our already stellar coverage and call capacity, while our
3G technology gives our customers a powerful network of broadband
speeds and ubiquitous voice and data service." Network Testing
Cingular diligently monitors the quality and coverage of its
network. In addition to third-party vendors who assess the
company's network performance, Cingular network engineers
constantly monitor the network, driving approximately 450,000 miles
of highway across Tennessee, Kentucky, and Southern Indiana each
year to ensure our network is operating at peak efficiency. That's
equivalent to more than 17 trips around the world. Enhancing the
Customer Experience Thanks to its advanced network, Cingular
customers use the best services that wireless can offer. For
example, customers can choose from an exciting array of wireless
devices including the recently launched Motorola SLVR, Cingular's
second handset capable of downloading iTunes directly from a PC.
Another of many innovative services available is Cingular Sounds
Live, which will utilize the company's on-demand streaming video
service, Cingular Video(TM), so that customers can watch concert
highlights on their 3G-compatible wireless phones. Additionally the
company offers an interactive mapping tool at all retail locations
and by calling 1-866-CINGULAR. The tool provides customers with
up-to-date wireless coverage information and is designed to answer
a customer's specific wireless coverage questions based on an
address, street intersection, zip code or even a landmark. This
tool will soon be available online to current Cingular customers
and to those shopping for cellular service. For more information
about Cingular, call 1-866-CINGULAR or visit
http://www.cingular.com/ About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless
is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 54.1
million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc.,
formerly SBC Communications Inc., (NYSE:T), and BellSouth
Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data
network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest
mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier.
Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its
3G network is the first widely available service in the world to
use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. 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: Laurie Parker of Cingular Wireless, +1-615-221-3690, or
Wireless, +1-615-202-3463, or Web site: http://www.cingular.com/
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/
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