Cingular Enhances Central Carolinas Coverage With Ten New Cell Sites

Network build-out part of $385 million Carolinas investment

CHARLOTTE, N.C. /PRNewswire/ - The nation's largest wireless carrier is growing its network and enhancing coverage in the Central Carolinas. Cingular Wireless has added ten new cell sites in the area, ensuring its customers stay connected.

These new cell sites are part of Cingular's $385 million investment in North and South Carolina, which includes building more than 300 new cell sites in 2006, enhancing wireless service for those who live, work and vacation in the region.

These new sites enhance Cingular's network coverage in the following areas:

-- Two new sites southwest of Charlotte in York County, S.C., enhancing
coverage along Kingsbury Rd./Hwy. 557 east of Clover and at the
southern end of Lake Wylie in Tega Cay, enhancing coverage along Gold
Hill Rd.
-- Three new sites southeast of Charlotte in Union County, enhancing
coverage along Newman and Potter Rds. west of Monroe, along Secrest
Shortcut and Rock River Rds. east of Indian Trail, and along Hwys. 74
and 205 in Marshville.
-- In Tredell County, improving coverage along Hwys. 64 and 90 northwest
of Statesville.
-- Two new sites near Davidson, N.C.: one just northwest of the city,
enhancing coverage along I-77 and Hwy. 115.; and one on campus,
enhancing coverage for Davidson College and Davidson itself.
-- North of Charlotte, enhancing in-building coverage for the upper and
lower levels of North Lake Mall.
-- Northeast of Charlotte in Cabarrus County, enhancing coverage along
Union Street and Old Airport Rd.

"These ten new cell sites will provide both residents and visitors to the Carolinas with a better network, better coverage, and better service," said Alison Hall, vice president and general manager for Cingular's North and South Carolina market. "Throughout the year, Cingular has added cell sites in the Carolinas almost daily, and these new sites are part of that effort to bring our customers the best wireless network and service possible."

These new locations are just some of the more than 300 new cell sites Cingular Wireless has launched in the Carolinas this year, increasing coverage and capacity, adding portable generators and back-up batteries, and offering enhanced new features. Significantly, Cingular recently launched its third-generation (3G) wireless network technology in 145 major metropolitan areas, including 65 of the top 100 largest cities in 33 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. This includes Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro and Columbia, with more to follow across the country. 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-provides average mobile data connections between 400-700Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink and bursts to more than a megabit per second. Nationwide, the company spent $6.5 billion on its network last year and is doing the same in 2006, bringing its overall investment to enhance and expand its ALLOVER™ network to more than $13 billion since the company's 2004 acquisition of AT&T Wireless.