Cingular SMS Traffic Increases 450% in Six Months

Company expands bandwidth to accommodate rapid increase in traffic

ATLANTA, Jan. 29, 2002 -- Cingular Wireless, the nation's second largest wireless carrier, has experienced more than a 450% increase in short messaging service (SMS) subscriber traffic traversing its network over the past six months. The large growth in traffic was largely stimulated by the introduction of services like mobile originated messaging, SMS to e-mail, ringtones, games, and sweepstakes.

"This growth in SMS traffic on the Cingular network is testimony to how quickly data is growing in popularity in the U.S.," said Bill Clift, chief technical officer of Cingular. "The ability to meet customers' data needs today and in the future clearly is a differentiator in the wireless industry. The combination of large volumes of messaging and Cingular's commitment to increase network capacity positions Cingular well as a leader in wireless data."

Cingular's SMS network handles tens of millions of messages on a monthly basis. Between June and October 2001 the number of messages carried on the network tripled. Since October alone, that number has increased by more than 50 percent.

In order to meet the growing demand, Cingular embarked upon a SMS Platform expansion to serve the needs of the existing GSM and TDMA markets as well as for Cingular's GSM overlay. This was done by selecting a single SMS platform that could serve both GSM and TDMA customers. The new platform was designed to offer as much as a ten-fold increase in traffic carrying capacity. GSM and TDMA were also networked together to offer customers messaging across all of Cingular.

"For Cingular, the addition of capacity has been systematic," said Clift. "By design, we initially sized the network for lower volumes. Over time, we listened to our customer's feedback and developed services that our customers wanted. As customers began to use those services, we added capacity to the network based on increased messaging traffic." "We are extremely pleased with the results so far."

Cingular Wireless Interactive Messaging Includes:

MOBILE TO MOBILE TEXT MESSAGING - Mobile-to-Mobile Messaging allows you to create and send short text messages (up to 150 characters) from your Cingular digital mobile phone to other Cingular digital mobile phones. All you need is their 10-digit mobile number. You can also receive messages from other customer's phones.

E-MAIL MESSAGING - Your mobile number is your e-mail address. Receive messages sent from virtually anywhere in the world.

WEB MESSAGING - Anyone with Internet access can send you personalized text
messages directly from our Web site, www.cingular.com, to the display of your phone.

INFO ALERTS - Get news, stock quotes, sports scores, entertainment news or other information on the display of your mobile phone. You choose the topics by using the Cingular My Wireless Window Web site at www.mywirelesswindow.com.
Cingular also offers the Interactive Messaging PLUS service on data-only handhelds enabled for its nationwide Mobitex packet data network, which handles millions of messages per day. Interactive Messaging PLUS gives subscribers the ability to send and receive interactive messages and Internet e-mail (up to 16,000 characters), access calendars, address books, task lists and the like, know when messages have been delivered and read through a special confirmation feature.

ABOUT CINGULAR WIRELESS
Cingular Wireless is the second largest wireless carrier in the U. S., and is dedicated to self-expression and customer-friendly service. As a leader in mobile voice and data communications for both individuals and enterprises, Cingular, a joint venture between SBC Communications and BellSouth, currently serves more than 21.6 million consumer and business customers nationwide. Cingular offers customers advanced technologies in simple, cost-effective ways that permit them to tap the creative potential of wireless through their own self-expression. Details of the company are available at www.cingular.com.

Cingular to Offer Text Messaging Without Boundaries

Soon messaging will be just as simple as making a phone call

ATLANTA, February 27, 2002 - Imagine sending a text message to your friends by simply knowing their mobile number. No need to worry about whose wireless service they have. In March, Cingular Wireless will allow their customers to type a message, address it with a 10-digit mobile number and send it. It's that simple. With the launch of inter-carrier messaging, Cingular will be among the first to allow its customers the ability to communicate with the majority of text messaging enabled users in the U.S. regardless of their wireless carrier.

Interactive Messaging, Cingular's product name for text messaging, is a fast and convenient way to communicate when you cannot talk on the phone or you just want to send a quick note. Soon Cingular customers will now be able to send and receive messages (up to 150 characters) with other U.S. wireless carriers' customers for just pennies a message.

"Cingular's enhanced ability to communicate with other carriers' customers, via inter-carrier text messaging, is just one more way Cingular delivers on its customer promise of 'self expression'" stated Stephen Krom, Vice President of Business Marketing and Product Development.

Cingular Wireless has experienced rapid growth in text messaging usage over the last six months of 2001. Cingular's network now handles tens of millions of messages every month.

The large growth in usage was stimulated by the introduction of services like mobile-to-mobile messaging, e-mail messaging, ringtones, games, and information alerts.

Krom noted, "Cingular believes inter-carrier messaging, which breaks down communication barriers between wireless carriers, is essential to achieving mass adoption and increasing text messaging usage in the U.S."

Cingular's Interactive Messaging service is available nationwide in its TDMA and GSM markets. Interactive Messaging is automatically included in most Cingular plans. Customers have the choice of paying 10-cents per message or purchasing packages where messages cost as little as 2 cents per message.

Cingular's Interactive Messaging service includes the following features:

MOBILE-TO-MOBILE MESSAGING - Create and send short text messages (up to 150 characters) from your Cingular digital mobile phone to other text messaging enabled users. All you need is a 10-digit mobile number.

E-MAIL MESSAGING - Your mobile number is your e-mail address! Receive messages sent from virtually anywhere in the world.

WEB MESSAGING - Anyone with Internet access can send you personalized text messages directly from our web site, www.cingular.com, to the display of your phone.

INFO ALERTS - Get weather, news, stock quotes, sports scores, horoscopes, or other information on the display of your mobile phone. You choose the topics by using the Cingular My Wireless Window Web site at www.mywirelesswindow.com.

RINGTONES AND GAMES - Cingular gives customers more ways to personalize their wireless service with downloadable ringtones and games for their Cingular handset. Most ringtones and games are just $.99 cents each.

Customers can choose from the latest billboard hits and rock classics, or play cool games like Trivia, Blackjack and Poker. Self-expression has never been easier or more fun! For more information please visit www.cingular.com/rings.

ABOUT CINGULAR WIRELESS
Cingular Wireless is the second largest wireless carrier in the U. S., and is dedicated to self-expression and customer-friendly service. As a leader in mobile voice and data communications for both individuals and enterprises, Cingular, a joint venture between SBC Communications and BellSouth, currently serves more than 21.6 million consumer and business customers nationwide.
Cingular offers customers advanced technologies in simple, cost-effective ways that permit them to tap the creative potential of wireless through their own self-expression. Details of the company are available at www.cingular.com.