Cingular Gears Up for Summer in Greater Syracuse

New Cell Sites Enhance Network Coverage as Part of $60 Million Investment Plan

SYRACUSE, N.Y., May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's largest wireless carrier continues to grow its network in greater Syracuse. Cingular Wireless today announced it has added five new cell sites in the area, providing enhanced service for Syracuse, Utica, Watertown and Ithaca residents, as well as the many vacationers to the region's lakes.

Cingular's addition of a new Jefferson County cell site located in Henderson Harbor provides additional coverage on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario and the Route 3 corridor. The company has also turned on a new site in the South Bay area of Oneida Lake, improving service in the Lake Shore Country Club vicinity and along NYS Route 31.

Cingular customers traveling in Cicero will benefit from a new cell site north of Syracuse along Interstate 81. In Wampsville, west of Oneida, a recently added site increases coverage at the busy intersections of Routes 365A, 5, 97 and 54, and the surrounding shopping area. In addition, a new site in the Baldwinsville area of Dwight Park now enhances service along the New York State Thruway, Route 690, John Glenn Boulevard and the northern end of Onondaga Lake.

"Enhancing our wireless experience in the lake areas ahead of Memorial Day weekend, when so many of our customers begin to flock to summer camps, was a top priority for Cingular. Simply put, people want great cell phone coverage - even when they are on vacation," said Robert Holliday, Cingular Wireless Vice President and General Manager, Upstate New York. "The improvements we've made to our network in the Syracuse area are significant and we will continue to invest here to ensure our customers have the best experience possible. In fact, we plan to build over 25 new cell sites in upstate New York this year alone."

In addition to the network expansion in greater Syracuse, Cingular is adding new cell sites in the Albany, Binghamton, Elmira, Buffalo and Rochester areas. As a result of its merger with AT&T Wireless, Cingular customers now enjoy the benefit of 780 fully-integrated cell sites throughout upstate New York.

Last year Cingular invested more than $122 million to build and integrate over 275 cell sites in the upstate region. The company plans to spend an additional $60 million in 2006 to further enhance its network. Nationally, Cingular will invest more than $6 billion expanding and enhancing its network this year. When combined with the company's 2005 network spending, the two- year total approaches $13 billion nationally.

About Cingular Wireless in upstate New York

In the upstate New York area, Cingular covers more than 5.5 million people and extends across more than 18,000 square miles. Cingular employs more than 360 people in the region. With 35 company-owned stores in addition to authorized dealers and national retailers, including RadioShack and Wal-Mart, upstate New York customers have more than 250 outlets to buy Cingular's products and services.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 55.8 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™ 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®, 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/.

SOURCE: Cingular Wireless

CONTACT: Kate MacKinnon of Cingular Wireless, +1-781-690-5057, or
wireless, +1-508-498-5547, or kate.mackinnon@cingular.com

Web site: http://www.cingular.com/
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/