Bellevue, Wash. — Sep. 29, 2005
T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the company has restored its wireless coverage in the Gulf Coast areas hit hardest by Hurricane Rita to either normal or near normal service levels. T-Mobile's Disaster Response Team has now repaired or restored service to many of its existing cell sites in the Houston, Texas and southwest Louisiana areas that had been damaged by the storm.
T-Mobile coverage is now available in the majority of metro-Houston and surrounding areas, with more than ninety-five percent of the company's cell sites in the areas affected by Hurricane Rita now operational. T-Mobile's Disaster Response Team was able to move quickly immediately following the storm, allowing the company to bring its wireless network back to normal or near normal levels of service in all affected areas.
The New Orleans, Louisiana area is now at or near normal service levels as well. More than ninety percent of T-Mobile's cell sites in the New Orleans area are now operational.
T-Mobile's Disaster Response Team continues to refuel its portable and permanent site generators on an ongoing basis in order to provide lifeline mobile phone service in many areas that are still without power.
In addition to restoring wireless service, T-Mobile HotSpot continues to offer free Wi-Fi Internet service* at many of its locations including Houston, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, College Station, Del Rio, Galveston, McAllen, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, which have not been forced to close due to the storm. There will be no charge for T-Mobile HotSpot service at these locations through midnight, September 30. Beginning on October 1, T-Mobile HotSpot service in these locations will return to normal, paid service. This free offer for Houston, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, College Station, Del Rio Galveston, McAllen, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama is for Wi-Fi service only, not T-Mobile voice services.
* All users should visit www.t-mobile.com/hotspot to view T-Mobile HotSpot terms and conditions and security policy. Service requires a Wi-Fi enabled laptop computer or PDA.
Lindsay Morio
T-Mobile USA Media Relations
425-383-4002
About T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG. By the end of the first quarter of 2010, approximately 150 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group - 33.7 million by T-Mobile USA - all via a common technology platform based on GSM and UMTS, the world's most widely used digital wireless standards. T-Mobile USA's innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG.