Cingular Wireless L.L.C. said it has launched service in Americus, Ga., as part of a multimillion-dollar expansion of its Georgia network. The new coverage includes eight cell sites covering more than 990 square miles and provides enhanced service in Sumter, Lee and Macon Counties.
Cingular added that it plans to further expand coverage to the north of Albany, Ga., as well as east of Americus to Flintside, Ga.
In an unrelated announcement, Cingular launched a pair of business-to-business offerings that the carrier said were the first to integrate AT&T Wireless Services Inc.’s business plans into Cingular’s Business Markets Group. The offerings include Cingular Corporate Digital Advantage for enterprises and Cingular Business Edge for small and medium-sized companies.
The Corporate Digital Advantage includes discounted calling plans, consolidated billing, business-exclusive care services and Cingular’s Rollover calling plans. Larger accounts are also provided with additional support for enterprise applications and international users.
The service is available in two contract options: the first requiring a minimum of six employees and at least $3,000 per year in revenue, while the higher-end plan requires a minimum of 50 employees and at least $45,000 per year in revenues.
The Cingular Business Edge provides electronic contract acceptance and account setup, discounted calling rates and consolidated billing. Cingular noted the service provides access to additional programs not available to consumers through its National Shares Business Solutions Plans.
“Pre-merger Cingular customers now have access to the feature-rich business programs of the former AT&T Wireless, whose clients now can take advantage of Cingular’s attractive price plans that include Rollover minutes,” said Joe Lueckenhoff, vice president of business mobility and marketing for Cingular.
Cingular claims it serves 95 of the Fortune 100 companies and counts more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 as customers. However, since these Fortune 500 companies may not have exclusive contracts, other carriers can claim similar figures.
Cingular also announced that it has selected MicroStrategy Inc.’s Business Intelligence Platform to enhance the carrier’s sales and marketing efforts.
MicroStrategy said the platform allows Cingular to analyze customer billing and churn information contained in its Teradata database and maximize customer acquisition and retention programs to minimize customer churn. Cingular is also using the platform to build a new “dashboard” for its executive and marketing management that will convey critical intelligence on marketplace perception of Cingular and help employees fine-tune their marketing programs.
