December 23, 2004

Two days after a technical glitch interrupted service for Cingular Wireless customers in Texas, Cingular announced it has spent $100 million in 2004 to improve its coverage in Dallas and Houston.

The glitch blocked incoming calls for subscribers in Dallas and Houston for around two hours Monday evening.

Cingular wouldn't provide specifics on the problem other than to say it was a glitch in the carrier's hardware and software. The carrier said subscribers could still place calls during the interruption.

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"These things happen from time to time," said Mark Siegel, a Cingular spokesman. Due to the intermittent nature of the problem, the carrier could not say how many customers were affected.

Siegel described the glitch as "very uncommon."

"We regret any inconvenience to customers," he said.

Cingular's statements contrast significantly with local reports on the interruption that came out Monday, some of which said the carrier's network shut down across several states.

Siegel said the glitch had nothing to do with Cingular's merging with AT&T Wireless Services Inc.

In its announcement Wednesday, Cingular said it has installed more than 170 new cell sites throughout north, east, central and west Texas this year as part of a $98 million pledge to expand its network performance and coverage.

The carrier said that due to its merger with AT&T Wireless it now has more than 2,000 cell sites in the state.

"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.

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Cingular said it added new sites in Dallas and Fort Worth, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Tyler, Longview, Waco, Temple, Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, Midland/Odessa and areas of rural Texas.

Cingular also said Wednesday it is nearing completion of a $33 million south Florida network buildout for 2004.

The expansion has resulted in greater coverage and enhanced service for Cingular's growing South Florida customer base, Cingular said.

Source: RCR News

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