Cingular announces GSM deployments

Cingular Wireless announced that it met its GSM/GPRS deployment schedule for 2002, reaching 50% of its covered subscribers. About 30% of the deployments involved upgrading Cingular’s existing GSM 1900 MHz networks to GPRS. The other 20% involved overlaying Cingular’s 850 MHz TDMA networks with GSM/GPRS, said Ed Reynolds, president of network operations with Cingular.

Cingular said it plans to increase its GSM/GPRS coverage to 90% of its covered population and all major markets by the end of 2003. The carrier said it is offering six different handsets that operate in the 850 MHz/1900 MHz bands.

“A year ago, deploying a GSM network at 850 MHz was an unproven endeavor with skeptics saying network and handsets would be late if they worked at all,” said a Cingular spokesman. “Today, we have working handsets and networks in place at 850 MHz.”