[May 10, 2004] Cingular Wireless Continues to Enhance Coastal Network in Preparation for G8 Summit ATLANTA, May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless announced today that the company is enhancing its advanced GSM/GPRS network in Sea Island, Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia in preparation for this year's Group of Eight (G8) Summit. The G8 Summit is expected to bring government officials and news media from around the world June 8 - 10. The company has worked with local, state and federal government officials since last year to determine voice and data coverage needs in the region and has already invested more than $2 million to increase network capacity and coverage along Georgia's coast. "As the world converges on Savannah and Sea Island, all eyes will be on the region, and we want to do our part to ensure that residents and visitors will have a positive wireless experience," said Clifford Minor, vice president and general manager, Cingular Wireless-Georgia. "The expansion will not only benefit G8 attendees -- the additions will remain in place to enhance the wireless service for our customers who live in or travel to these coastal communities." Cingular is enhancing 16 cell sites in Savannah's central area, and adding one new cell site in Brunswick and three on Sea Island, all to increase coverage and capacity in these key areas. In January the company added a new cell site in Brunswick to increase coverage in the northern part of the city near the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. The company has three COWs -- "cellular on wheels" -- mobile cell sites that can support additional capacity quickly and easily. One COW will be positioned at the Savannah Convention Center to cover the Westin Hotel and the River Walk District. The other two will be available as needed. Cingular's Regional Network Operations Center (RNOC) monitors and maintains its wireless network 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The monitoring system allows Cingular to assess and handle any wireless network emergency situation within minutes. Cingular has a team of network technicians working in advance of the Summit to prepare our network, and the group will provide 24-7 monitoring and be ready to respond as needed throughout the event. Cingular operates an advanced GSM/GPRS network in Coastal Georgia. GSM is the Global Systems for Mobile Communications, and with almost 1 billion people in 200-plus countries using GSM technology, more than 70% of the world's total wireless market is GSM. And what GSM delivers for voice, GPRS technology delivers for data. GPRS, or General Packet Radio System, is an enhancement for GSM that transmits and receives data in packets. It provides consumers with "always-on" connectivity and greater bandwidth and connection speed -- all from a wireless phone. "We have worked hard to serve Georgia for the past 20 years and are pleased to support the state and local coastal communities to ensure they have access to the best network and best wireless services available," said Minor. "In 2003, we invested more than $200 million in expanding our Georgia network and we will continue to improve our network to ensure our customers' continued satisfaction." The company has made available 40 of its latest voice/data devices -- the BlackBerry 6280(TM) -- to key government staff and officials, so they can stay connected while on the go. The tri-band (850/1900/1800 MHz) BlackBerry 6280 operates on Cingular's GSM/GPRS network and includes conference calling and international roaming, and data services such as text messaging, e-mail access, calendars and to-do lists. About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between SBC Communications and BellSouth , serves more than 25 million voice and data customers across the United States. A leader in mobile voice and data communications, Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(SM), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Cingular has launched the world's first commercial deployment of wireless services using Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology. Cingular provides cellular/PCS service in 43 of the top 50 markets nationwide, and provides corporate e-mail and other advanced data services through its GPRS, EDGE and Mobitex packet data networks. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/ . Cingular Wireless CONTACT: Dawn Benton of Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-5305, or wireless,+1-404-202-6335, or [email protected]; or Lauren Butler of Ketchum forCingular Wireless, +1-404-879-9283, or wireless +1-404-405-5623, [email protected] Web site: http://www.cingular.com/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]