Mobile Wireless Broadband Network Transforms Bakersfield Into Metropolitan
'Hot Spot'
BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of people living
in or visiting the Greater Bakersfield area will no longer need to rely on
wired connections for broadband speed access to information, as Cingular
transforms the City into a metropolitan hotspot.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040930/CINGLOGO-a )
Cingular today begins offering its 3G mobile wireless broadband service
throughout the Bakersfield metropolitan area, including the Cal State
Bakersfield and Bakersfield College campuses, the Downtown and California
Avenue business districts, and in large portions of the City's residential
communities. The company plans to continue adding coverage to meet the
market demands for service.
Cingular 3G not only offers advanced wireless services, such as viewing
video clips, it enhances existing services by making them run faster.
Customers can now download a game or ringtone, or access e-mail, in a
fraction of the time it used to take. Additionally, Cingular customers
using a new 3G handset can access all the company's data services whenever
they're connected to the Cingular network.
"Our customers have a craving for quick access to information," said
Charles Moe, Director of Sales for Cingular Wireless, Central California
Markets. "Our 3G service now gives customers an "invisible wire" that
extends their broadband experience beyond their office or home."
Cingular's 3G network provides average download data speeds between
400-700 kilobits per second with bursts to over one megabit. The company
currently provides 3G services in 137 major metropolitan areas across the
U.S. with populations of at least 100,000.
HSDPA/UMTS technology makes it possible for people to enjoy a wide
variety of wireless content and gives Cingular the advantage of offering
simultaneous voice and data services to customers based upon the global
standard for wireless communications -- GSM. For businesses and consumers,
this means more feature-rich services and content, and for Cingular, a more
economical method for carrying traffic and more efficient use of spectrum.
PERSONAL MOBILITY - FAST AND FURIOUS
Customers who want to watch highlights of a number of HBO's series
including "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage" or "The Wire," can see it all
-- and more -- by signing up for Cingular Video. Cingular Video is an
on-demand streaming video service with a large selection of popular mobile
content that can be viewed on 3G-capable Cingular phones.
"We've tailored Cingular Video so that customers can quickly and easily
personalize and access the information that's most important to them," said
Moe. "Imagine the soccer mom getting regular video weather updates, or the
business person checking the latest action on Wall Street with headlines
from NBC -- all from their wireless phone."
Cingular Video includes local weather forecasts in 100 cities across
the country. Basic Cingular Video service includes more options for
families from media outlets including ABC TV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim,
CMT, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, Disney Mobile Studios, ESPN, FOX
Sports, FOX News, FOX TV, FUEL, HBO Family (premium), HBO Mobile (premium),
iFilm, Jayski Alerts, MTV, Music Choice, NASCAR.com To Go (premium), NCAA
Championship Sports Content, NBC, Nickelodeon, Richard Childress Racing,
SPEED, Spike, The Weather Channel, TV Guide Channel and VH1.
Cingular currently offers 3G service on several handsets including the
only HSDPA wireless phones available in the country, the LGCU500 and
Samsung, ZX20. The company is adding several other handsets to its product
line in the coming months. Prices for Cingular 3G handsets start at $49
after a $50 mail-in rebate for a two-year service plan commitment. Cingular
Video requires a $19.99 MEdia Net Unlimited data package. Premium content,
such as HBO Mobile, is available on a monthly, additional subscription
basis, while other content, such as music video clips from Music Choice, is
available on a pay-per-view basis for a 24-hour period of time.
MOBILIZING BUSINESS AT HIGH-SPEED
Utilizing its 3G network, Cingular's LaptopConnect solutions give
businesses the ability to use their laptops to access the Internet or
e-mail, download large files and attachments, or run corporate business
applications at average data speeds between 400-700Kbps (kilobits per
second) on the downlink, with bursts to more than a megabit per second.
"Businesses need the same fast reliable access to information whether
they're working from a desktop in their office or making a presentation to
a customer at an offsite location," said Jeff Bradley, vice president for
Cingular's Business Markets Group. "They don't want to wait for a large
contract to download or access their company's intranet site to check
inventory status. With BroadbandConnect, they don't have to anymore."
Cingular LaptopConnect combines either an external LaptopConnect card
or an integrated modem within a Laptop and Cingular's Communication Manager
to provide access to the 3G network. The service also offers additional
security features compared to alternative wireless technologies.
Customers can purchase either an Option Wireless or Sierra Wireless
laptop modem card for $99.99, after rebate, when they sign up for a
qualifying voice plan and two-year, Unlimited Data Connect plan. Customers
can also purchase a Dell Latitude D620 or Dell Latitude D820 at
http://www.cingular.com/dell. Cingular's Unlimited DataConnect plan is
currently $59.99 those customers who sign up for a two year term and have a
qualifying voice plan with Cingular.
Additionally, business customers traveling outside the United States
can select one of two international data plans. Cingular DataConnect North
America ($109.99 for 100MB) for travel within Canada and Mexico, and
DataConnect Global ($139.99 for 100MB), an overseas plan -- both include
unlimited data usage on Cingular's domestic data networks. Cingular is the
first and only carrier in the world to offer a single card/single rate plan
solution for international travelers.
All Cingular LaptopConnect cards and Integrated modems are tri-band
HSDPA/UMTS (850/1900/2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS (Enhanced Data Rates
for Global Evolution/General Packet Radio Service) in four bands
(850/900/1800/1900Mhz), which means the devices are interoperable between
the company's nationwide EDGE network and it's 3G network. Data services
are currently available in more than 110 countries, with wireless broadband
access available in more than 24 countries.
THE TECHNOLOGY: HSDPA/UMTS
HSDPA is the high-speed evolution of GSM/EDGE (Global System for Mobile
Communication), which shares a common core network and therefore is
backward compatible with EDGE/GPRS.
In areas where the 3G network is not available, customers will
automatically receive service on the company's EDGE network. The Cingular
EDGE network is available to 270 million people in more than 13,000 cities
and towns and in areas along 40,000 miles of highways, providing average
data speeds up to 135Kbps. GSM is the world's most popular wireless
technology, which is used by international wireless carriers to serve more
than two billion people worldwide, and enabling Cingular customers to
make/receive voice calls in nearly 200 countries.
The launch is part of the company's $443 million network investment in
the greater Los Angeles area this year which includes Bakersfield. Over the
past two years, Cingular has invested more than $1 billion in the area
adding new cell sites, back-up generators and batteries and improving
overall coverage and capacity.
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States,
serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc.
(NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital
voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(R) network -- and the
largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier.
Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G
network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA
(High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S.
wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets
customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are
available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases
emailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.
SOURCE Cingular Wireless
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Related links:
http://www.cingular.com
http://www.cingular.com/dell
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040930/CINGLOGO-a
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Art Navarro of Cingular Wireless,
+1-562-468-6520, cell, +1-949-300-1329, art.navarro@cingular.com
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