Mobile Network Transforms City into Wireless 'Hot Spot'
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents and visitors to the
greater Memphis area will no longer need to rely on wired connections for
broadband access to information as Cingular transforms the city into a
wireless speedway.
Cingular today begins offering its 3G mobile wireless broadband service
throughout Memphis. Nearly the entire Memphis area -- south to Nesbit and
Cockrum, west to West Memphis, north past Rosemark and Gallaway, and east
to Piperton -- is now a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Cingular 3G not only offers advanced wireless services, such as viewing
video clips, it also 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 3G handset can access all the company's data services whenever
they're connected to the Cingular network.
"In today's fast-paced society, people are always on the go and have
the need for quick access to information," said Jim Thorpe, vice president
and general manager for Cingular's Tennessee/Kentucky market. "Our 3G
service gives them the ability to watch Grizzlies highlights on their
phones while waiting to hear some blues on Beale Street, or to quickly
download a presentation as they enter a meeting. We're providing customers
with an 'invisible wire' that extends their broadband experience beyond
their office or home."
Cingular customers can now use its 3G mobile broadband network to
rapidly access e-mail, browse the Internet, connect to business
applications, or watch video clips while on the go from a concert at FedEx
Forum to a drink with the ducks at the Peabody, while catching NASCAR
action from the infield at Memphis Motorsports Park, or while waiting to
board a flight at Memphis International Airport.
Cingular's 3G network provides average download data speeds between
400-700 kilobits per second with bursts to over one megabit. HSDPA/UMTS
(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access/Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System) 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. Cingular is the only wireless company in the
country with that capability. 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 video highlights of last night's big game
or view 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
Thorpe. "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 a 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.
In addition to Cingular Video, customers can download their own music
to the phone, transfer the music they purchase from subscriptions music
services such as Napster and Yahoo! Music, and access XM Satellite Radio
and MobiRadio music channels-all on their 3G phones.
Cingular currently offers 3G service on the LG CU500 phone, the Samsung
Sync, and the Samsung BlackJack and Cingular 8525 PDAs. The company is
adding several other handsets to its product line in the coming months.
Prices for Cingular 3G handsets start at $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate
for a two-year service plan commitment. The MEdiaNet Unlimited data package
is $19.99. Premium content, such as HBO Mobile, is available on an
additional monthly 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 LaptopConnect, 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 a Sierra Wireless laptop modem card for $49.99
after a $100 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 its 3G network and can be used in
more than 110 countries around the world. With a Cingular LaptopConnect
Card, customers can have single-card mobile broadband access to data
services in more places worldwide than offered by any other U.S. carrier.
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. No other wireless company in the nation
can offer this service to its customers.
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 Cingular's $235 million investment in its
Tennessee network this year, adding new cell sites, backup generators and
batteries and improving overall coverage and capacity, with the majority of
this investment in the eastern portion of the state. Nationwide, the
company spent $6.5 billion on its network last year and is doing the same
in 2006, bringing its overall investment since the company's 2004
acquisition of AT&T Wireless to more than $13 billion.
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States,
serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture of AT&T Inc.
(NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital
voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) 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
http://cingular.mediaroom.com
CONTACT:
Laurie Parker of Cingular Wireless, office:
+1-615-221-3690, wireless: +1-615-202-3463,
laurie.parker@cingular.com
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