Making AT&T Wireless-Cingular merger work will take years

[bobolito]

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine...gularqa20.html

Making AT&T Wireless-Cingular merger work will take years
Monday, December 20, 2004

By BOB KEEFE
COX NEWS SERVICE

From early secret planning meetings between "blue" and "orange" teams, the $41 billion merger of Atlanta-based Cingular Wireless and Redmond-based AT&T Wireless Services grew into the cell phone industry's biggest and most far-reaching combination yet.

Within 20 days after the deal was completed on Oct. 26, 1,000 AT&T Wireless stores had to be retrofitted in time for the holiday shopping season. Rate plans for new service had to be changed. Billing systems had to be merged.

At executive-led meetings like one in Atlanta recently, some 60,000 workers had to be reassured they'd have their jobs -- at least through the end of the year.

Now comes the hard part. Cingular now must combine a dozen or so different wireless technologies, add new antennas to old cell towers and build 8,000 more towers to fill out its new nationwide footprint. Other companies in the still-consolidating wireless industry will be watching closely.

The man largely responsible for melding the two companies' networks into the nation's biggest wireless phone service says it's going well, although it will be years before the combination is complete.

Cingular Network Services President Ed Reynolds says he's glad for one thing, though: that he isn't responsible for the industry's other megadeal, last week's combination of Sprint and Nextel, which he predicts could be fraught with technological problems.

At a recent wireless industry conference in San Diego, Reynolds sat down with Cox Newspapers' Bob Keefe to talk about the Cingular-AT&T integration. Here's what he had to say, edited for clarity.

Question: So where does the integration stand?

Answer: It's going remarkably well. We did an awful lot of planning work in the eight months between announcement and close. The assumptions we made in our planning have turned out pretty much on target. We haven't seen any big uh-ohs.

Q: This has been called the biggest integration of its kind. In what way?

A: Just the mass of it. The orange side (Cingular) had about 23,000 cell sites, and the blue side (AT&T) had about 25,000 to 26,000. You're talking about 48,000 to 49,000 cell sites we have to meld together. It's a huge undertaking.

Q: Obviously a big part of your challenge is making this a seamless experience for customers from both companies. How are you all trying to do that?

A: The way we do that ... happens behind the scenes. We do all the activation on a single set of billing systems. We use a single set of support platforms -- voice mail and that sort of stuff. Everything is common. The only thing different is that we still have two radio networks out there -- the blue and orange legacy networks.

Q: Right now you all basically address that by allowing customers to roam between the old AT&T and Cingular systems, making it seem like a single, cohesive network. But the goal is to have one seamless network with all the same technology, right? When will that happen?

A: We'll probably be halfway through physically integrating the networks by the end of (2005). We won't make much progress in the first half, because a lot of that time (will be spent) planning and getting equipment out there. We'll probably move to 80 percent (complete) by midyear of (2006) and be completely finished by the end of '06.

Q: What were you thinking when you first heard about this deal?

A: When you thought about how we could do it, I knew it was going to be massive. My first thoughts were, yeah, it's a lot of work, but what a tremendous opportunity. The outcome would be well worth it.

Q: You say the Sprint-Nextel integration will likely be much harder than yours. Why?

A: It's harder on the customer ... because the challenge there is the handsets, not the network infrastructure. Handsets are essentially the other half of your network. I wouldn't want to be a part of that company and have to (potentially) take my customers off of (Nextel's) push-to-talk handsets and move them to different handsets. The potential impact on customers in that sort of undertaking is high-risk.

Q: Have you lost any customers yet because of the Cingular-AT&T transition?

A: We've actually gained. I'm not sure I can give any specifics, but we've had several big enterprise (commercial) customer wins just in the last few weeks. Putting the two companies together gives us the network clout and the business clout ... that nobody else has.

© 1998-2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[viewfly]

I have to say that slightly before and since the merger, it appears to me that things have gone very smoothly. I have even found customer service much more helpful, the web pages informative, and Cingular flexible on some rules to insure that things go smoothly. Even the advertisements seem better coordinated.

I just received my Nokia 6230 (and 64K sim) with the welcome package; it all went smoothly, the web browser all set up, etc... I love the phone! RF is great; speakerphone wonderful and withthe PC suite software I moved all my multi line contacts right over. The coverage seems much better with this phone too.

But I'm sure there are many behind the scene things to take care of, but overall, it is much more positive than the doomsayers have predicted.

IMO, Congrats to Cingular for pulling this off!

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by bobolito

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine...gularqa20.html

Making AT&T Wireless-Cingular merger work will take years
Monday, December 20, 2004

By BOB KEEFE
COX NEWS SERVICE

Now comes the hard part. Cingular now must combine a dozen or so different wireless technologies, add new antennas to old cell towers and build 8,000 more towers to fill out its new nationwide footprint. Other companies in the still-consolidating wireless industry will be watching closely.

© 1998-2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

I am curious, what are the Dozen or so different Technologies ?
I can think of 4 off hand, Analog, TDMA, GSM & EDGE.
But the main part of the news still seems to be around the original time frame, just a few months more.
And so far it does seem to be going smoother then alot of people expected, but the big picture will be in mid 05 to see if it continues to go smooth.
Thanks for the article bobolito

[bobolito]

Dozen or so technologies? I don't know where he pulled that one from... maybe he meant:

AMPS
TDMA 800
GSM 800
GPRS 800
EDGE 800
UMTS 800
HSDPA 800
TDMA 1900
GSM 1900
GPRS 1900
EDGE 1900
UMTS 1900
HSDPA 1900

LOL! That's the only way I can think he was counting them.

Those who know better know that GSM/GPRS/EDGE are basically one and the same since they share the same time slots, same channels, etc.. And just because it uses a different band doesn't mean it is a different technology. Besides the type of transceiver used, GSM 800 is no different than GSM 1900.

What I'd like to know is what he meant by building 8,000 more towers to fill out its new nationwide footprint. I thought they had too many towers already.

[DandyDon]

Question: So where does the integration stand?

Answer: It's going remarkably well. We did an awful lot of planning work in the eight months between announcement and close. The assumptions we made in our planning have turned out pretty much on target. We haven't seen any big uh-ohs.

uh-oh:

Large parts of Cingular Wireless' network yesterday went down. The outages reportedly hit a 13-state area, including much of North Texas, lasting for five hours. Customers hit by the network outage were greeted with a customer service message that said, "We are currently experiencing a network outage in your coverage area." This is the first major network issue reported from Cingular since the carrier closed its merger with AT&T Wireless. Yesterday, Cingular representatives admitted that it will take up to two years to fully integrate AT&T Wireless' network and systems.


North Texas Cingular Wireless Customers Hit By Outage

Outage Lasts Over 5 Hours

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Many North Texas Cingular Wireless customers were left disconnected on Monday.

After receiving many calls from Cingular customers saying they had lost their service, NBC 5's Wendy Woolfolk investigated.

Customers told NBC 5 that while they could place calls from their phone, they were unable to receive any.

Timothy Martin owns a plumbing business and uses his cell phone as a lifeline to his customers. On Monday, that line was severed and Martin's customers were told his line was disconnected when trying to reach him through his cell phone.

"It says when calling that the line has been disconnected ... no longer in service. That's the part that's embarrassing to me," Martin said.

A Cingular customer service message later was modified to say: "We are currently experiencing a network outage in your coverage area."

The outage lasted for more than 5 hours on Monday. But for Martin, the outage was not simply an inconvenience, it was a potential loss of income for the business owner.

"If this lasts anytime at all I have to get another service. I gotta keep the same number ... it's part of my business," Martin said.

Luckily for Martin and the rest of Cingular's customers, the company had the problem resolved on Monday night.

"The outage was limited to Texas, and was resolved about 8:15 p.m. It was a hardware problem that overloaded the system. The problem people would experience is intermittent, not all the time," said Frank Merriman, Cingular spokesperson.

These issues are bound to happen, wonder if it had anything to do with "merger consolidation."

[bobolito]

Nj is having some problems that are starting to bug me. For instance, in the middle of the night, 12:30AM or 1AM, I am on the phone, call is crystal clear, full signal, and all the sudden, puff! the call drops! for no apparent reason. It only seems to happen at home so I think it might be the tower near my house that has issues.

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Nj is having some problems that are starting to bug me. For instance, in the middle of the night, 12:30AM or 1AM, I am on the phone, call is crystal clear, full signal, and all the sudden, puff! the call drops! for no apparent reason. It only seems to happen at home so I think it might be the tower near my house that has issues.

It's part of Cingular's, not yet advertised, 'Smart Service'. By monitoring it's user's calling pattern and times, they will cut service to the individual user as a reminder that it is time for bed and get some sleep.

Cingular is trying to promote healthy living routines along with hands free devices for users while driving. Using their advanced E911 location devices they knew that you were at home, and not driving your car.

[KevinJames]

Bobo: Midnight to 1AM!? Have you heard about sleep? Its that process where your body rejuvenates itself. Wonderful invention, you should try it.

[hillbilly44]

Bobo;

That's the time when the maintenance window comes into play. Unless you would prefer they shut down the sites during the daytime

[Tadlock2699]

I am having the same issues!! It's about every hour on the hour, past 1:00am. I have great signal, have been talking for a long time, then all of a sudden, ON THE HOUR, my phone goes "doo-doo-doo" like the SBC sound when someone's phone is disconnected and drops the call. Then, I call back, and the next hour, on the hour, it does the same thing. I can tell you that if they don't stop that, I will no longer have their "great" service! I don't think this only a tower related issue, just because it happened when I was in Central Florida, and now, Southeastern/Central Texas .

--Tadlock

P.S- I hate their "SmartService". It can kiss my !

[azcellphonejunkie]

Originally Posted by viewfly

It's part of Cingular's, not yet advertised, 'Smart Service'. By monitoring it's user's calling pattern and times, they will cut service to the individual user as a reminder that it is time for bed and get some sleep.

Is this a joke? Can they really impose this on customers? What if you work in the middle of the night and use your cell phone for communication? I can imagine there are a lot of people out there who talk a lot at night #1. Because they need to and #2. Because it's cheaper! Maybe I'm getting suckered into a trap, but this doesn't sound right!

[DandyDon]

lol

[bobolito]

Originally Posted by KevinJames

Bobo: Midnight to 1AM!? Have you heard about sleep? Its that process where your body rejuvenates itself. Wonderful invention, you should try it.

The problem is some of us have significant others who we love to spend a few hours talking to burn those night & weekend minutes. I have nothing to worry about, next morning after that, I just wake up at noon and feel great again!

[WirelessBeachBum]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Dozen or so technologies? I don't know where he pulled that one from... maybe he meant:

AMPS
TDMA 800
GSM 800
GPRS 800
EDGE 800
UMTS 800
HSDPA 800
TDMA 1900
GSM 1900
GPRS 1900
EDGE 1900
UMTS 1900
HSDPA 1900

LOL! That's the only way I can think he was counting them.

Those who know better know that GSM/GPRS/EDGE are basically one and the same since they share the same time slots, same channels, etc.. And just because it uses a different band doesn't mean it is a different technology. Besides the type of transceiver used, GSM 800 is no different than GSM 1900.

Maybe he meant the different technologies by different network equipment providers, I know when I talk about network issues with the internal tech guys they make a big deal about what equipment they are trying to integrate, Motorola switches, lucent switches, Nortel cellsites etc....I can see where that could quickly add up to a dozen or so technologies.

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by azcellphonejunkie

Is this a joke? Can they really impose this on customers? What if you work in the middle of the night and use your cell phone for communication? I can imagine there are a lot of people out there who talk a lot at night #1. Because they need to and #2. Because it's cheaper! Maybe I'm getting suckered into a trap, but this doesn't sound right!

Yes, it is true. In order to conserve bandwidth in the wireless industry, wireless users patterns will be monitored (like the buying patterns of grocery stores consumers) so that their service can be shut down if they go out of their normal time of day usage. This way other customers can have more air time.

It is part of the up and coming future 4G services: Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha!

[azcellphonejunkie]

Originally Posted by viewfly

Yes, it is true. In order to conserve bandwidth in the wireless industry, wireless users patterns will be monitored (like the buying patterns of grocery stores consumers) so that their service can be shut down if they go out of their normal time of day usage. This way other customers can have more air time.

It is part of the up and coming future 4G services: Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha!

HA HA Very funny

[Tadlock2699]

All I know is that it sucks!

[jones]

Originally Posted by DandyDon

uh-oh:

Large parts of Cingular Wireless' network yesterday went down. The outages reportedly hit a 13-state area, including much of North Texas, lasting for five hours. Customers hit by the network outage were greeted with a customer service message that said, "We are currently experiencing a network outage in your coverage area." This is the first major network issue reported from Cingular since the carrier closed its merger with AT&T Wireless. Yesterday, Cingular representatives admitted that it will take up to two years to fully integrate AT&T Wireless' network and systems.


North Texas Cingular Wireless Customers Hit By Outage

Outage Lasts Over 5 Hours

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Many North Texas Cingular Wireless customers were left disconnected on Monday.

After receiving many calls from Cingular customers saying they had lost their service, NBC 5's Wendy Woolfolk investigated.

Customers told NBC 5 that while they could place calls from their phone, they were unable to receive any.

Timothy Martin owns a plumbing business and uses his cell phone as a lifeline to his customers. On Monday, that line was severed and Martin's customers were told his line was disconnected when trying to reach him through his cell phone.

"It says when calling that the line has been disconnected ... no longer in service. That's the part that's embarrassing to me," Martin said.

A Cingular customer service message later was modified to say: "We are currently experiencing a network outage in your coverage area."

The outage lasted for more than 5 hours on Monday. But for Martin, the outage was not simply an inconvenience, it was a potential loss of income for the business owner.

"If this lasts anytime at all I have to get another service. I gotta keep the same number ... it's part of my business," Martin said.

Luckily for Martin and the rest of Cingular's customers, the company had the problem resolved on Monday night.

"The outage was limited to Texas, and was resolved about 8:15 p.m. It was a hardware problem that overloaded the system. The problem people would experience is intermittent, not all the time," said Frank Merriman, Cingular spokesperson.

These issues are bound to happen, wonder if it had anything to do with "merger consolidation."

I THINK THIS IS THE REASON



Additional sites, combined with AT&T Wireless sites, give Texas outstanding
wireless coverage

DALLAS, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the country's largest
wireless provider, announced that it has installed more than 170 new cell
sites throughout North, East, Central and West Texas in 2004 as part of a
$98 million commitment to expand it's digital wireless network performance and
coverage.
Combined with the cell sites from the recently completed merger with AT&T
Wireless, Cingular's North Texas area now has more than 2,000 cell sites, far
more than any other wireless provider.
"While we are pleased with our progress, we will not stop here," said Adam
Vital, Cingular's vice president and general manager. "Last year we made the
commitment to complete our advanced data and voice network, and this year we
focused on increasing our coverage, particularly in residential areas and in-
building locations throughout North Texas.
"We recognize that superior call quality and coverage are two of the most
critical factors that determine customer satisfaction. We are moving
aggressively to continue what we began earlier this year to ensure we have
'more bars in more places.' Our ALLOVER(SM) network* is the largest digital
voice and data network in America, and North Texas is an important part of
that network."
During 2004, Vital said Cingular added new cell sites in the following
areas: greater Dallas and Fort Worth, 67; Lufkin and Nacogdoches, 7; Tyler,
11; Longview, 11; Waco, 25; Temple, 19; Lubbock, 8; Amarillo, 5; Abilene, 9;
Midland/Odessa, 5; and rural areas of Texas, 10.
Vital said Cingular's network covers more than 268 million people and is
growing, providing the largest high-speed data network in America. Cingular
also offers the largest mobile-to-mobile calling community with more than
46 million people.
Cingular's network growth exclusively relies on advanced GSM/EDGE
technology. GSM is the world standard for wireless communication, used by more
than a billion people in 200-plus countries. In fact, more than 70 percent of
the world's total wireless market is GSM. What GSM delivers for voice, EDGE
delivers for data. EDGE is a high-speed wireless data service that gives
customers "third generation" (3G) wireless data services with data speeds
typically three times faster than what was available with GPRS.
With the acquisition of AT&T Wireless, Cingular offers even faster network
speeds with AT&T Wireless' UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)
data network, which was implemented earlier this year in selected cities,
including Dallas.
Cingular is building on that deployment, and in November, announced plans
to deploy the nation's fastest high-speed mobile wireless data network based
on international standards. Called UMTS with HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet
Access), this 3G technology will offer average data speeds between 400-700
kilobits per second and bursts to several megabits per second on capable
devices.
Cingular's UMTS/HSDPA offers customers the ability to have simultaneous
voice and data sessions, which means a customer can use a handset to make a
call at the same time they are checking their e-mail or browsing the Internet
at high speeds.
For more information about Cingular, please contact 1-866-CINGULAR or
visit http://www.cingular.com .