BLS Bellsouth Cp

Cingular Wireless Completes $78.6 Million Network Enhancement Plan in Louisiana, Prepares to Accelerate Growth in 2005 Additional sites, combined with AT&T Wireless sites, give Louisiana customers outstanding wireless coverage NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless provider, today announced the completion of its $78.6 million Louisiana network build-out for 2004. The network expansion includes the addition of 55 new cell sites across the state as well as enhancements to existing sites and has resulted in greater coverage and enhanced service for Cingular's growing Louisiana customer base. Joe Larussa, Vice President and General Manager for Cingular Wireless - Alabama/ Mississippi/Louisiana, said Cingular's network covers more than 268 million people and is growing, providing the largest high-speed data network in America. Cingular also offers the largest mobile-to-mobile calling community with more than 46 million people. Since the beginning of 2004, Larussa said Cingular added cell sites in the following areas: Southeast -- East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, Ascension, St. John, St. James, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Jefferson, East Feliciana, Plaquemines, Tangipahoa and Point Coupee; Southwest -- Iberia, St. Martin and Lafayette; Central -- Avoyelles, Vernon, Grant, Rapides and Winn; North -- Jackson, Richland, Union, Bossier, Caddo and DeSoto. "We recognize that superior call quality and coverage are two of the most critical factors that determine customer satisfaction. We are moving aggressively to continue what we began earlier this year to ensure we have 'more bars in more places.' Our ALLOVER(SM) network* is the largest digital voice and data network in America, and Louisiana is an important part of that network," added Larussa. "The completion of our 2004 network investment campaign sets the stage for more network enhancements in 2005." In 2005, Cingular is not only planning to build additional sites across Louisiana to further enhance the local network, but also to "cherry pick" sites from the existing AT&T Wireless network that will quickly add coverage to areas of need. Cingular's 2004 investment comes on the heels of a two-year effort implementing a GSM/EDGE voice and data network throughout Louisiana. GSM is the Global System for Mobile Communications, the world standard for wireless communication, used by more than a billion people in 200-plus countries. In fact, more than 70 percent of the world's total wireless market is GSM. What GSM delivers for voice, EDGE technology delivers for data. EDGE is a high-speed wireless data service which gives customers "third generation" (3G) wireless data services with speeds typically three times faster than what was available on GPRS. "Over the last couple of years, we successfully completed our transition to an advanced voice and data network. This year we also focused our resources on increasing coverage, particularly in residential areas and in- building locations across the state," said Larussa. "While we are pleased with our progress, we will not stop here." With the acquisition of AT&T Wireless, Cingular offers even faster network speeds with AT&T Wireless' UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) data network, which was implemented earlier this year in selected cities. Cingular will build on that deployment, and in November, announced plans to deploy the nation's fastest high-speed wireless data network based on international standards. Called UMTS with HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), this 3G technology will offer average data speeds between 400-700 kilobits per second and bursts to several megabits per second on capable devices. For more information about Cingular, please contact 1-866-CINGULAR or visit http://www.cingular.com/ . * Coverage not available in all areas. ABOUT CINGULAR WIRELESS Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving more than 46 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between SBC Communications (NYSE:SBC) and BellSouth (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(SM), 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://www.cingular.com/newsroom . DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless CONTACT: Calie Shackleford of Cingular Wireless, +1-615-221-3690, or wireless, +1-615-319-5599, or Web site: http://www.cingular.com/ http://www.cingular.com/newsroom

Copyright