Cingular Wireless Commits to Massive Expansion in North/South Carolina

[jones]

NORTH CAROLINA

Cingular Wireless Commits to Massive $55 Million Expansion of its North Carolina Network


Company to enhance in-building, residential, high-traffic route and rural coverage throughout the region


CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless today unveiled its massive network expansion plan bringing greater coverage and enhanced service to Cingular's growing North Carolina customer base. The nearly $55 million expansion campaign will increase network coverage, capacity and enhance the data services offered to customers throughout the state. Over the past three years, the company has invested more than $300 million in its North Carolina network. The enhancements planned for this year coupled with the 2003 expansion efforts will improve coverage in the following areas:
- Charlotte: improved coverage along I-77 and Highway 21, I-485 corridor
and Highway 27 and in key residential and industrial areas.
- Roanoke Rapids: new coverage along the Virginia/North Carolina state
line and enhanced coverage in Roanoke Rapids, Weldon and Garysburg.
- Rocky Mount: expanded coverage north of Rocky Mount along US Highway
301 and enhanced coverage in Battleboro, Dortches and Whitakers.
- Raleigh/Durham: improved coverage in key residential and industrial
areas in Hillsborough and North Durham. Expanded and better in-building
coverage in suburban Raleigh especially around Morrisville, Apex,
Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Wake Forest, Smithfield and Zebulon.
- Fayetteville: new coverage along Highway 87 from Fayetteville to
Wilmington covering Tar Heel, Elizabethtown and Riegelwood. New
coverage along US Highway 15/501 from Aberdeen to Laurinburg.
- Wilmington/Carolina Beach: improved coverage in residential areas North
of Carolina Beach and Porters Neck.
- Goldsboro: new coverage along US Highway 13 North between Goldsboro and
Greenville. Improved coverage along US Highway 258 from Kinston to Snow
Hill and improved in-building coverage in Goldsboro, Kinston and
Greenville.
- Lake Lure: brand new coverage in resort community.
- Asheville: new coverage and improved system quality along Highway
23/441 - Franklin, Highway 40 and 276 - Waynesville, US 64 and 74 - Bat
Cave, I-26 and Hwy 25 - Northern Hendersonville.

[jones]

SOUTH CAROLINA

Cingular Wireless Commits to Massive $50 Million Expansion of its South Carolina Network

Company to enhance in-building, residential, high-traffic route and rural coverage throughout the region


COLUMBIA, S.C., June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless today unveiled its massive network expansion plan bringing greater coverage and enhanced service to Cingular's growing South Carolina customer base. The nearly $50 million build campaign will increase network coverage, capacity and enhance the data services offered to customers throughout the state. In 2003, the company spent more than $35 million on improving its South Carolina network.
The enhancements planned for this year coupled with the expansion that took place in 2003 will improve coverage in the following areas:

- Columbia: increased coverage in residential, commercial and industrial
areas; along major roadways including Interstate I-20, Highway 277;
downtown near Assembly St.; Lake Carolina - Blythewood; and along Bush
River Rd. and Mineral Springs Rd. in West Columbia.
- Orangeburg: increased coverage in St. Matthews between I-26 and US
176; North Orangeburg along Farnum Road and Belleville Road; and in
South Orangeburg between US 178 and 21.
- Florence: increased coverage West of Effingham; North Effingham along
Alligator Road; in Darlington along US Highway 52; and southeast of
Florence towards the Great Pee Dee River.
- Anderson: increased coverage along Highway 59 - South Seneca; in West
Anderson near Highway 187; Williamston Road and US 29 North of
Anderson; along US 76 in Belton; along US 76 in Honea Path; along
Highway 8/US 29 and in downtown Pelzer; and US 153 in Easley.
- Greenville: increased coverage in residential, commercial and
industrial areas along I-85 and US 25, I-85 and I-385; Woodruff Road;
US 29; and Highway 253 in Taylors.
- Charleston: increased coverage along US 52 near Goose Creek; along US
17A in Ridgeville; I-95 in Reevesville; I-26 in Harleyville; Highway 64
in Walterboro; in downtown Charleston (peninsula area) and along US 52
around Lake Moultrie.
- Spartanburg: increased coverage in residential areas along Hwy 56,
I-85 and Highway 176.
- Blacksburg: increased coverage within the town of Blacksburg; along
I-85 and highways 198 and 29.

[bobolito]

Sounds to me like they are not planning to give up that network after the merger. I wonder what they'll do with Suncom.

[futureMD]

Glad to see they're adding coverage at Lake Lure. I wonder if that will be up next summer by the time my family goes there. Is there a GSM provider that offers coverage there currently?

[Etorres777]

It be nice if they would build towers in suburban areas of big cities... my neighborhood... LOL.. I can dream, can't I?

[GoodmanR]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Sounds to me like they are not planning to give up that
network after the merger. I wonder what they'll do with Suncom.

Let T-Mobile buy them I hope.

[jayc]

Cingular is always releases news articles that they are GOING to do something... not trying to start anything but it seems odd that they've said they are doing a massive expansion in just about every state in the south so far.

So they've invested 300 million in North Carolina in the past 3 years... 300/3 that's 100 million a year. This year they are investing only 55 million? What a publicity stunt IMO.

[jones]

Originally Posted by jayc

Cingular is always releases news articles that they are GOING to do something... not trying to start anything but it seems odd that they've said they are doing a massive expansion in just about every state in the south so far.

So they've invested 300 million in North Carolina in the past 3 years... 300/3 that's 100 million a year. This year they are investing only 55 million? What a publicity stunt IMO.

Well they Bell South owns 40% of CINGULAR so the money they spent to connect these Towers to their LandLine comes back to them.

I guess they figured they spent too much in the past year 3 years so this year they will spend less.
But I think after this they will have coverage anywhere in the Carolinas.
Even in the Men Room or the Ladies Room.

[jayc]

Originally Posted by jones

Well they Bell South owns 40% of CINGULAR so the money they spent to connect these Towers to their LandLine comes back to them.

I guess they figured they spent too much in the past year 3 years so this year they will spend less.
But I think after this they will have coverage anywhere in the Carolinas.
Even in the Men Room or the Ladies Room.

So they have a news article stating they will be spending LESS this year than the past three years? LOL

[bobolito]

jayc, PRNewswire always publishes all these "publicity stunts" as you call them. They did the same thing with Verizon when they trumpeted the world that they reached 40 Million subs. I saw another article PRNewswire published saying that Cingular improved coverage in a university. The whole thing was that they just added 1 new tower in that area. Big deal! I mean, is that supposed to make news? LOL!

[ehcruzan]

As I read those press releases, I was saying to myself that Cingular is really expanding service aggressively. It was at that point that I realized the only carrier I see press releases for, in terms of beefing up existing coverage, is Cingular. I'm sure all carriers are out spending heavily supplementing existing coverage, but Cingular just happens to make a press release out of their planned coverage improvements.

[bobolito]

So you haven't seen the Verizon press releases for Litchfield Co. in CT and York Co. in Maine?

[jones]

Both Bell South and SBC are selling their Overseas Investments/Assets so they can finance GSM Upgrades and Buy ATTWS.

These 2 Regional Bells combine have more assets than Verizon, who is also selling some of their Overseas Investments.

[Etorres777]

Instead of focusing on building new towers and stuff where they already have roaming aggreements, or have towers there, why don't they focus on building where they don't have coverage?

[WirelessBeachBum]

Because they need to stop some bleeding before they can start growing again...from my experience along Coastal Carolina, Cingular is at a major disadvantage in coverage...I never run into business customers using them to any extent.

[bobolito]

For the most part Cingular doesn't have many business users across the US. It not just in the Carolinas.

Cingular can't be doing like T-Mobile used to do, only expanding and not worrying about building good coverage because Cingular has far more customers. But anyway, for the most part, Cingular current licenses are almost all built out, with the exception of those they just got from Nextwave. Once they acquire AWS, they will have many unbuilt licenses and probably then, you will see them trying to expand more aggresively. It is hard to expand if there is no licenses to expand to.

[scottb]

They don't seem too concerned about filling holes in their existing areas. I'd like to see then do some of that too.

[bobolito]

Who's "they"?

[Airb330]

I like how Cingular will toot its horn though. I just got a statement in my bill saying new GSM towers at Atlantic City and Rehobeth, DE. which is great (DE beaches suck with every company except T-Mobile, which sucks everywhere else!). If I built new towers I'd send out a flier in the bill too, might help keep customers.

[scottb]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Who's "they"?

Cingular.

[bobolito]

But the article is saying they are taking care of just that, scott. I am not sure where you are coming from.