Cingular Wireless and Gigante USA Forge Strategic Alliance

CERRITOS, Calif., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing effort to cater to the Latino marketplace, Cingular Wireless announced today a partnership with Gigante USA Supermarkets to feature Cingular Wireless kiosks in Gigante stores across Southern California, including stores in downtown Los Angeles, Pico Rivera, Arleta, Covina, Compton, Inglewood, Santa Fe Springs, Anaheim, and Chino.

Gigante USA, Inc. is a Hispanic Supermarket chain owned by the Grupo Gigante Mexico.

"Our partnership with Gigante USA Supermarkets is part of Cingular's ongoing strategy to meet the needs of our Latino customers," said Mauro Martinez, Director of Diversity for Cingular Wireless. "Becoming an integral part of the Latino community means being visible and available in places like Gigante, where many of our customers already shop."

"This alliance is very important for both companies," said Jack Deceliere, chief executive officer for Gigante USA. "Gigante is on a growth curve in Southern California and has aggressive plans for the future. By featuring Cingular kiosks in our stores, Gigante is providing our shoppers with easy and convenient access to Cingular products and services."

Placing kiosks in all nine Gigante stores represents Cingular's latest effort to effectively build brand recognition and presence in the Latino community. The company is already providing wireless content and services specifically geared toward this rapidly growing customer segment, including exclusive ring tones featuring Hispanic-style melodies, games, unique graphics, and specially-priced long-distance rates to various countries throughout Latin America.

Existing Cingular retail stores catering to the Latino community continue to be renovated, stocked with Spanish language materials and staffed by bilingual customer service representatives, making them more inviting for consumers who prefer information and assistance in their native language.

About Grupo Gigante

Grupo Gigante is Mexico's third-largest retailer (following Wal-Mart de Mexico and Comerci) with approximately 260 outlets that sell food, apparel, and general merchandise in 19 Mexican states. Grupo Gigante operates Gigante USA Supermarket stores in Southern California and is continuing to expand.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 52.3 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., and BellSouth Corporation , has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER (SM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover (SM), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases e-mailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://www.cingular.com/newsroom.

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