ATLANTA, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout this year, when Cingular
customers talked, people listened, and talked, and listened, back and
forth, on and on and on and on. They talked so much that, for the first
time, Cingular today said it expects to carry more than 500 billion
minutes-of-use (MOU) on its network this year.
That's a lot of gabbing. But why so much chatter?
Cingular believes the more than $13 billion dollar network investment
it made over the past two years to enhance the quality and coverage of its
Allover Network is the cause of all the talk by its customers. The network
investment gave customers access to more than 45,000 cell sites, resulting
in a substantial reduction in dropped and blocked calls as well as improved
voice quality.
"It's common-sense business. If you give customers a quality product,
they'll use it more often," said Ed Reynolds, president of network services
for Cingular. "The investment we made is really paying off for us and our
customers. People have noticed the difference and are taking full advantage
of our services."
Cingular, which offers the fewest dropped calls of any carrier, said
people are using its wireless service for longer periods -- an average of
755 minutes a month, as reported at the end of last quarter. Over the
course of the network enhancements, the average length of a wireless call
on the Allover Network has increased as much as 15 percent in some markets.
Along with people talking more, there are more people talking. Since
the network enhancements began in early 2005, Cingular increased its
customer base by nearly 20 percent through the end of October 2006.
Additionally, due to the enhanced quality of service experienced by
customers, churn also decreased by nearly 20 percent over the same period.
In the past, Cingular announced the busiest calling day of the year,
which historically had been Halloween. But today, with all the additional
customers and increased talking, the busiest day of the year changes almost
weekly as customers increasingly use and rely on their wireless phones more
and more.
And while chatter is the main subject matter, data is no pitter-patter.
The network enhancements also provide customers with an exceptional
data experience -- whether using a laptop to receive broadband wireless
connections to corporate and personal e-mail, surfing the Internet,
downloading mobile games, or watching some of their favorite clips on
Cingular Video. The consistent, fast and reliable network connections,
coupled with easy-to-use applications, have driven demand for data
services, increasing the average spending by customers more than 45 percent
(3Q/05 vs. 3Q/06). The company expects customers to increasingly use data
services, especially on its 3G network, which is available in most major
markets around the country.
Add a cool device and it's twice as nice.
Cingular's quality of service is further enhanced by a wide range of
devices that help customers take full advantage of the company's wireless
offers. Exclusive devices such as the Samsung Blackjack and Sync, LG CU500,
Cingular 8525, Sierra Wireless 875 PC modem card and others, allow
customers to stay connected almost anywhere in the United States or when
traveling to 190 countries around the world.
"The network is the foundation of our business, now and in the future,"
said Reynolds. "Our focus and investment will continue to be on providing
the best possible wireless experience for our customers."
Other things* you could possibly do in 500 billion minutes:
- Listen to the live version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" 45
billion times
- Watch nine seasons of Seinfeld without commercials more than 132
million times
- Make about 57 thousand trips to the moon and back
- Attend 2.8 billion baseball games
- Drive round-trip from New York to Los Angeles 92 million times
- Sleep for 950 million consecutive years
- Have a truly unlimited wireless calling plan!
*Estimates based on available information, and uh, best guesses.
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://cingular.mediaroom.com
CONTACT:
Ritch Blasi of Cingular Wireless,
+1-973-637-9449, or wireless, +1-908-612-1760, or
ritch.blasi@cingular.com
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