[September 13, 2005]

SBC Foundation Doubles Hurricane Katrina-Relief Employee-Match Program to $2 Million

SAN ANTONIO --(Business Wire)-- Sept. 13, 2005 -- Employee Response Exceeds Giving Estimate

SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC) today announced that employee donations for the Hurricane Katrina disaster-relief efforts have exceeded initial projections, prompting the SBC Foundation to double the cap for its dollar-for-dollar special employee matching-gift fund to $2 million -- for a total potential company and employee contribution of up to $4 million.

Employee contributions have surpassed the original giving estimate with more than $1 million in employee contributions and $1 million in matching dollars from the SBC Foundation pledged to the American Red Cross.

"We have seen an unprecedented response from our workforce to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina," said Edward E. Whitacre Jr., chairman and CEO of SBC Communications Inc. "From our employees to our business units, SBC Communications is responding with donations, free telephone and Internet access for evacuees, volunteer time and technicians on the front lines to make a difference."

This week, SBC companies started deploying up to 140 technicians from California, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas to provide BellSouth with network and technical support to assist in the recovery efforts. The company has already sent equipment -- generators and microwave trailers -- to the area hit by the hurricane, and additional technicians will be provided on an as-needed basis.

In addition to technicians, SBC companies have provided technology through a commitment of more than $4 million a month in services. Free local and long distance calling, Internet service and voice mail boxes have allowed thousands of Katrina evacuees to reconnect with families, make appointments for job interviews, search for housing, and stay in contact with FEMA and other relief agencies.

Along with the many SBC companies employees making financial donations, more than 1,000 employees and retirees have also donated thousands of hours of their time at evacuation shelters by helping victims connect with loved ones -- through phone calls or Internet site searches. The volunteers are continuing their efforts to assemble care packages and to sponsor donation drives.

The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. The SBC Foundation supports efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly those with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. SBC Foundation-backed programs are designed to increase access to information technologies, broaden technology training and professional skills development, and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development. The Foundation Center has consistently ranked the SBC Foundation among the nation's top fifteen corporate foundations. In 2002, the SBC Foundation launched SBC Excelerator, a multimillion dollar competitive grants program that funds nonprofit organizations in their efforts to digitally connect communities. For more information, visit www.sbc.com/foundation.

SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves 51.6 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.

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