Award recognizing industry leaders announced at CTIA Show in Atlanta
JACKSON, Miss. (March 23, 2004) – Cellular South, one of the nation's largest privately held wireless companies, yesterday was honored with a 2003 Excellence Award from Wireless Week. The industry's flagship publication annually recognizes the top wireless companies in the country that have demonstrated technological innovation, corporate vision and leadership, and subscriber growth.
"This is a significant honor for Cellular South because of Wireless Week's highly respected position in our industry," said Hu Meena, company president. "As a privately held company, Cellular South can focus on its customers and remain nimble enough to respond to customers' needs. We attribute our success to that strong customer relationship and this award is a testament to that fundamental principle by which we operate."
Wireless Week stated that Cellular South's progress in 2003 led to its winning the Excellence Award. In its March 22 issue, the publication noted, "Results last year were impressive. The company's revenue grew 12 percent. It initiated an aggressive coverage build-out plan to convert its markets from TDMA to CDMA 1XRTT. Through unique customer service approaches and community activism, it stays in tune with customer opinion."
In addition, the company has a current customer churn rate of 1.7 percent per month, among the lowest in the wireless industry, while its subscriber base grew by approximately 13 percent in 2003. The company has also been net income positive for 11 of the last 12 years.
The company has invested more than $260 million in its infrastructure over the last five years, recently completing its third-generation (3G) CDMA 1X wireless network which stretches from Memphis, Tennessee; Mississippi; Coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle to Destin, Florida. CDMA 1X technology significantly increases capacity for voice and data traffic allowing the company to offer its flat rate plan. Prior to launching 3G technology, Cellular South operated analog technology before converting to the first generation of digital wireless in 1999.
"The CDMA 1X upgrade was a smart one for Cellular South because it gives them very cost-effective voice capacity," says Clint Wheelock, director of wireless research for Instat/MDR, a sister company of Wireless Week. "Because Cellular South focuses heavily on calling plans with unlimited minutes, its subscribers' minutes of use are higher than average and voice capacity on the network is doubly important."
The awards were presented at the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association's (CTIA) Show in Atlanta. The trade show is the global wireless industry's largest event, with more than 800 exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees.
About Cellular South
The company is one of the largest privately held wireless providers in the U.S. and is licensed to provide wireless service - to a total population of more than five million people - on its network stretching from the Memphis Metropolitan Area, throughout all of Mississippi, along Coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Destin/Seaside. Cellular South offers a different kind of wireless service based on the simple premise that customers have rights, including the right to a network that works, and service and pricing that is fair and makes sense. For more information, contact Cellular South at 1-877-CSOUTH1 or visit cellularsouth.com.
Contact:
Tanya Rankin, Cellular South (601) 974-7134 trankin@cellularsouth.com
