Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, Computer City Sign Cellular Agreement
Wireless Service, Equipment Offered by Computer City in 12 Markets, including St. Louis
Dallas, Texas, January 16, 1996
Computer City* is going cellular. Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems has authorized Computer City to offer cellular service from 33 of its retail stores in the wireless company's service areas later this year, including its Bridgeton Supercenter in suburban St. Louis, it was announced today.
Under the agreement between the two companies, Computer City customers can sign up for cellular service from Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems and be able to place and receive calls by the time they reach their home. The agreement spans the wireless company's operations in the United States.
Computer City becomes an authorized Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems dealer at its 26 stores in Dallas, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Austin, Kansas City, Bridgeton/St. Louis, Buffalo, Rochester, Boston, and Washington, D.C./Baltimore by mid-1996. Additionally, SBMS service will be available at seven new Computer City locations by year's end.
"We work hard to make it easy for customers to do business with us," said Stan Sigman, group president of Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems. "In the past few months, we've announced our venture into home shopping. We entered the Houston, Austin and North Texas markets with full-service neighborhood retail stores. Now with Computer City, we are reaching customers in a popular retail environment."
Computer City joins Best Buy and Radio Shack stores and major retail centers that are serving as Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems authorized agents in the St. Louis area.
"Mobile phones and laptop computers are changing the way people live and work," said Alan Bush, president of Computer City. "Offering convenient, one-stop-shopping for cellular communications is just one more way Computer City is working to meet the technology needs of our customers."
Computer City, a division of Tandy Corporation, is North America's pre-eminent computer superstore retailer. The company currently operates 99 locations throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. During 1994, in only its third full year of operations, Computer City sales exceeded $1 billion, making it the second fastest-growing retailer in history. The company plans to open 20 to 30 stores in 1996.
*Computer City is a registered service mark of Tandy Corporation.
**Cellular One is a registered service mark of the Cellular One Group.
Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems is a subsidiary within SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC), one of the world's leading diversified telecommunications companies. Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems provides wireless communications to more than 3.6 million customers in 63 service areas throughout the United States. The company's 9 percent cellular penetration rate leads the industry. Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems operates as Cellular One** in Chicago; Boston; Washington, D.C./Baltimore; Central Illinois; and Upstate New York.