Cingular Wireless Adds Five New Cell Sites as Part of 2004 Network Investment

[jones]

Cingular Wireless Customers to Experience Improved Coverage from Key Largo to Key West
Tuesday August 24, 10:37 am ET
Company Adds Five New Cell Sites as Part of 2004 Network Investment to Enhance In-building, Residential and High-Traffic Route Coverage


KEY WEST, Fla., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless customers driving along US-1 from Key Largo to Key West should experience improved coverage and enhanced service as Cingular today announced it has added five new cell sites in the Florida Keys. These new sites increase wireless coverage in the area by 20% and have been added to northern Key Largo and the junction of US-1 and Card Sound Road, Grassy Key, Key Colony, Big Pine Key, Big Coppitt Key and downtown Key West. These sites were added as part of Cingular's effort to give customers more consistent access to the Cingular Wireless network throughout the Florida Keys. This expansion is part of this year's $34 million network expansion and includes the addition of more than 20 new cell sites throughout South Florida.
"We know that our customers' number one priority is being able to make a call when and where they want and we are focusing our resources on vastly improving coverage, particularly along major routes, residential areas and in- building locations throughout the region," said Rich Guidotti, Vice President and General Manager for Cingular Wireless-South Florida. "These improvements to our Florida Keys network will enhance data services and fill in coverage to make a great network even better."

In 2003, Cingular invested more than $100 million implementing an advanced GSM/GPRS network and improving coverage and capacity throughout the region. GSM, or Global System for Mobile Communications, gives customers the latest technology advances, including phones with greater functionality and unique features, high-speed data connectivity and superior sound quality. With more than 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/EDGE technology delivers for data. GPRS, or General Packet Radio System, is an enhancement for GSM that transmits and receives data in packets and EDGE takes it to the next level supporting higher peak data rates. Cingular's EDGE data network gives customers in this market who are activated on Cingular data-enabled rate plans and obtain EDGE-enabled handsets faster speeds when accessing the Internet from a wireless phone or laptop, or while sending and receiving digital images. Cingular Wireless was the first carrier in North America to launch EDGE in 2003.

"We have worked for the past 20 years serving our customers in South Florida and we believe our customers chose Cingular because they have the highest expectation for their wireless service," said Guidotti. "With our ongoing network enhancements and the completion of the Florida and nationwide GSM network, it's our commitment to make sure we continue to deliver this superior level of service our customers demand."

In addition to its extensive network campaign, Cingular has rolled out a number of new initiatives to enhance the customer experience and the company's customer service systems and procedures. These include improving the customer experience at all points of contact - the initial sale, service, billing, call center contact and online presence. The company introduced a new simplified bill, self-service enhancements such as Star Services, simplified coverage maps and rate plans, and a new mapping tool to provide customers with more detailed coverage information.

[bobolito]

At least it was more than one this time....

[Airb330]

Pretty good expansion. Sprint only has like 5-6 towers in the Keys I think....and they are PCS.

[roamer1]

Originally Posted by Airb330

Pretty good expansion. Sprint only has like 5-6 towers in the Keys I think....and they are PCS.

That doesn't surprise me...but given that the Keys are so narrow and flat, it's ridiculously easy to cover the Keys even at 1900. Cingular probably added these sites to improve capacity, not coverage. (Hopefully they did fix the low-signal issue they had in the Layton area, though.)

-SC

[m12122_310-560]

cell one stuck a 850/1900 tower in the middle of nowhere--my town now we have service!

theres no one else that even reaches us, as far out in the sticks as we are. theres a tower about 6 miles one way and another 10 miles in the opposite direction: we were right in a dead spot. well, TDMA/CDMA still is (its a GSM/GPRS only tower, but the AMPS signal comes from the tower "6 miles away")

go figure

[agentHibby]

Does Verizon have anything in the florida keys?

[roamer1]

Originally Posted by agentHibby

Does Verizon have anything in the florida keys?

Yes (1900)

-SC