Cingular Completes Indiana Network Integration

[jones]

Cingular Completes Indiana Network Integration
Tuesday December 13, 3:31 pm ET
Cingular and AT&T Wireless Networks Now Fully Combined


INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless customers in Indiana now have more bars in more places thanks to the integration of the Cingular Wireless and the former AT&T Wireless networks in Indiana.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040930/CINGLOGO-a )

The integration has more than doubled the number of sites available to former AT&T Wireless customers and increased the number of sites available to all area Cingular Wireless customers by nearly 30%.

"This is the single largest increase in coverage that our customers have ever experienced," said Brian Ducharme, Vice President/General Manager for the Indiana/Michigan Cingular Wireless market. "Almost overnight our network was transformed, giving our customers access to more sites in more places." The network integration began in mid-October and was completed by early November.

This integration comes on the heels of Cingular being rated "best network in Indianapolis" among all major wireless carriers. Based on extensive drive testing by an independent third party, Cingular's network in the greater Indianapolis area had the most reliable performance.

"Our network is the foundation of our business and we are continually working to make it even better than it already is," said Ducharme. "Cingular offers the best network in Indianapolis, and that network is backed by a 30- day no questions asked return policy. This is the most customer-friendly policy of any carrier in the industry, and we have it because our customers come first."

Cingular Wireless has spent almost $90 million building more than 30 new cell sites throughout Indiana in 2005. This includes key sites in the following Indianapolis areas:


- Geist
- I-70 east of Shadeland and I-465
- Speedway
- Irvington near East Washington and Ritter
- I-465 Southeast Corner
- Beech Grove

Cingular's ALLOVER(sm) Network* covers over 270 million people and is growing. The company also offers customers access to EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution), the largest digital data network in the country, providing connection speeds between 75 and 135 kilobits per second - about three times as fast as dial-up service. Cingular EDGE service is available in more than 13,000 cities and towns and in areas along nearly 40,000 miles of highways. The company also is launching its 3G mobile broadband service in 16 markets this year, with most major markets receiving service by the end of 2006.

[Shizam76]

I wonder when we will be done....next door to Indiana.....

[Obi-Wan]

Yeah I travel through NW IN alot and for a while I was getting alot of dropped calls way more than I was getting before whic was rare. But now the signal on my phones is peaked most of the time. If cingular keeps this up I think Verizon will have to rethink their marketing.