SouthernLINC Wireless - Press Releases

SouthernLINC Wireless Plans for the 2006 Hurricane Season
Utilizes best practices from its ten proven years of responding to emergencies

ATLANTA – May 31, 2006 – In preparation for the 2006 hurricane season, SouthernLINC Wireless®, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is executing plans to ensure communications will remain available to its customers throughout the Southeast, should a major natural disaster occur.

“SouthernLINC Wireless has a proven track record for more than ten years of swiftly responding to natural disasters,” said Bob Dawson, president and CEO of SouthernLINC Wireless. “SouthernLINC Wireless was founded to support the needs of Southern Company’s utility subsidiaries, so ensuring reliability has always been top-of-mind – especially when disaster strikes. Whether it’s making sure our employees of Mississippi Power can communicate with one another, or our customers in the Gulf Coast can call loved ones following a storm, our company has always been – and always will be – doing everything in our power to keep people connected.”

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, SouthernLINC Wireless’ InstantLINCSM Mobile to Mobile was the predominant means of communicating in certain hard-hit areas. As of September 1, 2005, only three days after Katrina hit, 98 percent of SouthernLINC Wireless’ sites were up and running. And, as of September 8, 2005, 99.9 percent of SouthernLINC Wireless’ sites were fully operational.

Following best practices of past years, SouthernLINC Wireless is implementing the following measures to ensure its customers can communicate before, during and after a major storm:

• SouthernLINC Wireless has increased its number of fuel-powered generators in the Southeast. The company ensures that all cell site generators are topped off with fuel prior to a storm and then refueled on a regular basis.
• The company has added extra cell on wheels (COW) base stations, which are fully functional mobile cell sites that can be rapidly deployed, should a permanent site endure heavy damage. Additionally, SouthernLINC Wireless is actively ramping up its Cell Site Rapid Assessment Team to ensure the company will be able to respond to any emergencies in the quickest manner possible.
• This year, SouthernLINC Wireless moved its coastal switching operations to its centralized Mobile Switching Office (MSO) in Birmingham, Ala. The company made many enhancements to this location so that its systems are more robust and less susceptible to damage. Enhancements include physical upgrades to the facility making it is more resistant to fire, smoke, water or lightning damage.
• SouthernLINC Wireless purchased additional microwave equipment this year, which is being stored in Birmingham for rapid deployment in the event of a disaster. Outside of Birmingham, the company repaired and replaced microwave dishes in the coastal areas for better stability.
• SouthernLINC Wireless is reviewing its existing wireless transport infrastructure and the company will upgrade older equipment to newer, more reliable units.
• The company has improved its alarm management system, meaning, SouthernLINC Wireless first responders now have a more accurate understanding as to how hurricane damage directly impacts its customers.
• In the event of a major hurricane, the company plans to activate phones for use by key government agencies, public service entities and corporations. Last year, SouthernLINC Wireless activated nearly 2,500 phones for the National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, Georgia Department of Defense, BellSouth, Mississippi Emergency Management Association, Singing River Hospital and others within days of Hurricane Katrina.

Many SouthernLINC Wireless employees live and work in prime zones for hurricanes. They will be on-call during hurricane season to assess and repair any damage quickly.

“Since we have more people on the ground throughout the Gulf Coast and Southeast, our employees are readily available to get a jump start on restoration efforts,” added Dawson.

Launching service commercially in February 1996, SouthernLINC Wireless was developed by its parent company, Southern Company, to meet the wireless communications needs of commercial users as well as Southern Company’s subsidiaries including Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric. SouthernLINC Wireless’s footprint encompasses 128,000 square miles in the Southeast.

About SouthernLINC Wireless
SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is an Atlanta-based regional wireless carrier covering the major metro and rural areas in Alabama, Georgia, southeastern Mississippi and northwest Florida. SouthernLINC Wireless bundles multiple communication options into one phone including push to talk, cellular service, text messaging, wireless Internet access and wireless data. More information about SouthernLINC Wireless can be obtained by calling 1-800-818-LINC (5462) or visiting the SouthernLINC Wireless Web site at www.southernlinc.com.

About Southern Company
With 4.3 million customers and more than 41,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has received the highest ranking in customer satisfaction among U.S. electric service providers for seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.