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Cingular Installs 170 New GSM/EDGE Cell Sites

27th December, 2004

US : Cingular Wireless, the country's largest wireless provider, announced that it has installed more than 170 new cell sites throughout North, East, Central and West Texas in 2004 as part of a $98 million commitment to expand it's digital wireless network performance and coverage.

Combined with the cell sites from the recently completed merger with AT&T Wireless, Cingular's North Texas area now has more than 2,000 cell sites, far more than any other wireless provider.

"While we are pleased with our progress, we will not stop here," said Adam Vital, Cingular's vice president and general manager. "Last year we made the commitment to complete our advanced data and voice network, and this year we focused on increasing our coverage, particularly in residential areas and in- building locations throughout North Texas.

"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 North Texas is an important part of that network."

During 2004, Vital said Cingular added new cell sites in the following areas: greater Dallas and Fort Worth, 67; Lufkin and Nacogdoches, 7; Tyler, 11; Longview, 11; Waco, 25; Temple, 19; Lubbock, 8; Amarillo, 5; Abilene, 9; Midland/Odessa, 5; and rural areas of Texas, 10.

Vital 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.

Cingular's network growth exclusively relies on advanced GSM/EDGE technology. GSM is 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 delivers for data. EDGE is a high-speed wireless data service that gives customers "third generation" (3G) wireless data services with data speeds typically three times faster than what was available with GPRS.

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, including Dallas.

Cingular is building on that deployment, and in November, announced plans to deploy the nation's fastest high-speed mobile 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.

Cingular's UMTS/HSDPA offers customers the ability to have simultaneous voice and data sessions, which means a customer can use a handset to make a call at the same time they are checking their e-mail or browsing the Internet at high speeds.

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