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BellSouth also ranked No. 6 for Supplier Diversity ATLANTA, April 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BellSouth (NYSE:BLS) is proud to announce that is has been listed No. 9 on The 2006 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. This year's ranking represents an upward movement of 33 positions from last year's No. 42 spot. "We are delighted to be included on this list recognizing good diversity and inclusion practices," said Chief Diversity Officer Valencia Adams. "Creating an environment where each individual has an opportunity to contribute, and where a variety of perspectives are valued is essential to fostering the kind of innovation we need to maintain our competitiveness," she added. "BellSouth's commitment to diversity starts with its CEO and extends to all aspects of its business," said Luke Visconti, partner and co-founder of DiversityInc. "As a DiversityInc Top 50 company, BellSouth demonstrated strong unbiased recruitment and retention as well as excellence in communications and supplier diversity. The CEO demonstrates personal commitment by chairing the company's diversity council." "I am extremely proud of BellSouth's overall progression from 2005 to 2006," said Duane Ackerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. This recognition belongs to all of BellSouth's 63,000 employees." The DiversityInc business publication describes 2006 as its sixth successful year of empirically and objectively demonstrating corporate- diversity success and the nation's most credible business list for diversity. According to DiversityInc, a total of 256 companies, a 100 percent increase over the last three years, competed for a spot on the "highly coveted" list. New this year was the requirement that companies on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity demonstrate consistent strength in the four areas the survey measures. Also, more weight was given to CEO commitment, the most crucial of the four areas measured-the others are Human Capital, Corporate Communications and Suppler Diversity. The complete list of winners is posted on http://www.diversityinc.com/ and a more detailed analysis of the winners and the results will be featured in the June issue of DiversityInc magazine. About BellSouth Corporation BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 500 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 55.8 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 print and online directory advertising through The Real Yellow Pages(R) and YELLOWPAGES.COM(TM) from BellSouth. 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 DiversityInc Magazine DiversityInc is a monthly business magazine published by DiversityInc Media LLC, a privately owned company with no outside investors. Launched in 2002 as an extension of DiversityInc.com, DiversityInc magazine and its daily news site are the nation's leading sources of information for cutting-edge knowledge of the business case for diversity. DiversityInc magazine offers readers more in-depth articles and substantive analysis, building on the company's history as the premier expert on reporting and analyzing diversity issues and their impact on U.S. society and business. DATASOURCE: BellSouth Corporation CONTACT: Angela Brooks of BellSouth Corporation, +1-404-249-2365, or ; or Dolores Machuca-Ruiz of DiversityInc, +1-973-494-0564, or Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/ http://www.diversityinc.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/095650.html

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