Cingular Completes National GSM Network Integration
03 Octobre 2006 - 4:01PM
PR Newswire (US)
Better coverage, fewest dropped calls from on-time completion
CHICAGO, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1983, a small crowd gathered in
Chicago to launch the nation's first citywide cellular service.
Today, 23 years later, another seminal event in wireless history is
taking place here - the completion of Cingular's GSM (Global System
for Mobile Communications) network integration. The network
integration, which began shortly after the merger of Cingular
Wireless and AT&T Wireless in October 2004, has dramatically
improved call quality for Cingular customers throughout the nation.
Cingular completed its GSM network integration by reusing existing
assets, working closely with vendors, and minimizing site visits by
technicians. "It seems appropriate that the city where wireless
began is the completion point for our network integration," said
Ralph de la Vega, chief operating officer for Cingular. "Offering a
superior network experience, exclusive products and services, and
competitive pricing helped Cingular produce continuously improving
results, including record profits, some of the industry's highest
net customer additions and extremely low churn." "The integrated
network has already paid dividends and provides a foundation for
continued expansion," said Ed Reynolds, president of Network
Services for Cingular. "The job of building and enhancing the
network will never be fully complete, not if we are going to
continue exceeding our customers' expectations. It's the nature of
our business." The result of the integration currently gives
customers access to nearly 47,000 cell sites throughout the
country. The network integration was one of several initiatives the
company funded as part of its $13 billion 2005/2006 capital
investment to enhance network quality and coverage. Throughout the
integration process, hundreds of technicians from third- party
testing companies, infrastructure vendors, and Cingular's own
employees used specially designed vehicles to travel throughout the
country testing the signal strength and coverage of the GSM
network. Even before the network was fully integrated, data from
these drive tests showed that Cingular customers could expect the
fewest dropped calls of any wireless company. Along with funding
integration, Cingular is currently deploying its 3G UMTS/HSDPA
(Universal Mobile Telephone System/High Speed Downlink Packet
Access) network throughout the country. The 3G service, which
offers mobile wireless broadband connections averaging 400-700
kilobits per second (Kbps), is available in 105 markets
(populations of 100 thousand or more) in and around 44 major
metropolitan cities. Customers can use the 3G connections to access
e-mail and information services or watch streaming video clips from
some of their favorite entertainment outlets using Cingular Video.
"With integration complete, we're now focused on quickly offering
3G services in all of the top metropolitan markets and surrounding
areas," said Reynolds. "We want our customers to have a similar
broadband experience whether they're in their homes, at work, or at
the park. Staying connected to information is great - getting it
anytime, anywhere and at lightening-fast speeds is priceless." The
UMTS/HSDPA network complements and supercharges Cingular's EDGE
(Enhanced Data Rate for Global Evolution) network, available to
more than 270 million people living and working in more than 13,000
cities and towns across the Untied States. Unlike some competitive
services, all 3G services and features, such as Cingular Video, are
also available on the company's EDGE network. About Cingular
Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the
United States, serving 57.3 million customers. Cingular, a joint
venture between AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and BellSouth Corporation
(NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the
nation -- the ALLOVER(R) 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
emailed to you automatically. Sign up at
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/. DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless
CONTACT: Ritch Blasi of Cingular Wireless, +1-973-637-9449, or
wireless, +1-908-612-1760, or Web site: http://www.cingular.com/
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/
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