Cingular Wireless completes 75 new cell sites to enhance local network

[jones]

Millions in Network Enhancement Initiatives Pay Off in Mississippi; Cingular Wireless completes 75 new cell sites to enhance local network
Tuesday August 31, 9:15 am ET


JACKSON, Miss., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Cingular Wireless announced that it has nearly completed its $100 million 2004 network enhancement plan for Mississippi. As of today, more than 75 percent of the 95 new cell sites scheduled for activation in 2004 have been turned up and are enhancing call quality, multiplying capacity and extending the network's reach across the state.
With 75 new sites on air throughout Mississippi, customers will not only find coverage available in new areas, but will also experience enhanced call quality in key areas including Greenville/Greenwood, Columbus/Starkville, Tupelo and Biloxi.

"Cingular continues to go beyond the big cities and Interstates to provide our customers with an advanced network that gives them the ability to make a call when they want and where they want." said Doyle Warrington, Director of Sales for Cingular Wireless - Mississippi. "Cingular is committed to making its great network even better with ongoing network enhancements that allow us to grow and expand with the communities we serve."

The 75 sites activated so far this year enhance service in the following counties:

North Mississippi
-- Itawamba - enhanced coverage along US 78 and CR 178 at the AL/MS state
line
-- Sunflower - enhanced coverage in and around the Drew area and along
Hwy 49; enhanced service along Hwy 8 and US 49 just west of Ruleville
-- Bolivar - enhanced coverage along Hwy 8 between Minter City and
Ruleville; enhanced service along Hwy 8 in the Pace area; enhanced
coverage in and around Gunnison and along Hwy 1; enhanced coverage in
the northern part of Shelby and along Hwy 61; enhanced service along
Hwy 8 and Hwy 1 in the heart of Rosedale

Central Mississippi
-- Oktibbeha - enhanced coverage along Hwy 12 just southwest of
Starkville; enhanced service along Hwy 25 in the Craig Springs area
-- Choctow - enhanced coverage along Hwy 12 just east of Weir
-- Sharkey - enhanced coverage along US 61 just north of the Sharkey-
Issaquena County line; enhanced service along Hwy 61 just north of the
Nitta Yuma area; enhanced coverage along US 61 and Hwy 14 in the
Rollin Fork area
-- Washington - enhanced coverage along Hwy 1 and Hwy 436 in the Glen
Allan area; enhanced service around Longwood as well as along Hwy 1
-- Noxubee - enhanced coverage in and around Brooksville and along
US Hwy 45
-- Lowndes - enhanced coverage in the Mayhew area and along US Hwy 82 at
the US Hwy 45 exchange; enhanced coverage along Hwy 25 just south of
Starkville

South Mississippi
-- Stone - enhanced coverage along US 49 north of Perry and McHenry
-- Harrison - enhanced coverage along CR 67 in the Success area; enhanced
service along US 49 and Hwy 67 junction in Saucier; enhanced coverage
along Hwy 90 between Long Beach and White Harbor
-- Han**** - enhanced coverage along CR 603 just north of the Kiln area
-- Jackson - enhanced coverage along CR 57; enhanced service along US 90
and along the coastal line; enhanced coverage in and around
Brooksville and along US Hwy 45; and enhanced coverage along US 90 and
I-10 right at the AL/MS state line
-- Callaway - enhanced coverage along CR 57 just south of Vancleave
-- Claiborne - enhanced coverage along US 61 in the downtown Port Gibson
area
-- Covington - enhanced coverage in and around Seminary and along Hwy 49;
enhanced service along Hwy 35 just north of the Lone Star area on
US 84
-- Forrest - enhanced coverage along Hwy 11 and in the Petal and
Hattiesburg area
-- Lamar - enhanced coverage along Hwy 98 and just east of the Oloh area
-- Macon - enhanced coverage in the northern part of Columbia at the
13/35 junction


Having just completed an aggressive GSM upgrade to the Mississippi network, Cingular is moving forward with plans to deliver world-class wireless service to customers throughout the state. GSM, or Global Systems for Mobile Communications, is the world standard for wireless communications. Almost 1 billion people in 200 countries use this technology which delivers a superior network, the widest selection of phones, and advanced data applications, such as faster downloads on games, instant messaging and picture messaging. GPRS is an enhancement for GSM core networks that introduces packet data and provides users with "always-on" connectivity and greater bandwidth and connection speed.

"Network quality is a major criteria for customers who are choosing a wireless provider," said Warrington. "Now that our transition to an advanced voice and data network is complete, we are focusing our resources on increasing coverage, particularly in residential areas and in-building locations across the state."

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040831/cltu011_1.html

[Critic]

...and tomorrow VZW will issue a press release saying they just built 76 cell sites, plus they stole Cingular's lunch money.

[bobolito]

LOL!

At least it wasn't just one site this time.

[weatherwoodchuck]

Verizon really needs to make a move in Mississipppi. I went to school there, I had Extended Network coverage on Alltel and Sprint. Verizon should really get some home coverage in that state.

[Etorres777]

I would think it be more important to improve on the coverage they have now than build more. Quality over quantity, no? Cingular is not sold where I live, but a lot of them believe that Cingular is so great that they want to get it when it comes into town because of it's good rep. What they don't know that their coverage is like a "D" here because they're just going to take over AT&T's towers. They're going to be really dissapointed. Or instead of building make some roaming agreements and make sure that the customer is covered all around and ist happily satisfied.