Cellular South

Infobox Company
name = Cellular South

type = Private
foundation = 1988
founder = Hu Meena
location_city = Ridgeland, Mississippi
location_country = United States
location =
locations = 85 stores
area_served = Memphis metropolitan area
Jackson, Tennessee
Mississippi
Coastal Alabama
Florida Panhandle
key_people = Hu Meena - President;
Suzy Hays - Senior Vice President, Customer Operations;
Tony Kent - Senior Vice President, Engineering and Network Operations;
Greg Latour - Senior Vice President, Technology Development;
Sherry Stegall - Senior Vice President, Operational Quality Assurance
industry = Wireless communication services
products = CDMA2000 1xRTT and EV-DO (wireless voice and data services), SMS (text messaging), MMS (picture messaging), BREW, Push to Talk, BlackBerry, Mobile banking, E-mail
services = CDMA
EV-DO
parent = Telapex, Inc.
homepage = [http://www.cellularsouth.com/ cellularsouth.com]

Cellular South, founded by Clarksdale, Mississippi native Hu Meena, is the largest privately held wireless provider in the United States [ [http://www.deltabusinessjournal.com/2003_Archives/04_April/APR-Cellular.php Delta Business Journal: Cellular South celebrates 15th anniversary] ] and is licensed to provide wireless service to a population of more than five million people, which includes the Memphis Metropolitan Area, Jackson, Mississippi area, throughout all of Mississippi, along Coastal Alabama including Mobile, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Destin/Seaside. The company constructed new headquarters in 2007 in Ridgeland, Mississippi and a new Technical Operations Center in Jackson, Mississippi the same year. Cellular South's parent company, Telapex, Inc., and affiliate company, Telepak Networks, are also located in the Ridgeland headquarters. The company operates 4 call centers in Mississippi and more than 85 retail locations.

Beginnings

Cellular South launched its wireless service on the Mississippi Gulf Coast on February 4, 1988, using TDMA technology (commonly called "analog"). Mississippi football legend and Drew, Mississippi native Archie Manning made the company’s inaugural call from Gulfport, Mississippi to then U.S. Representative Trent Lott in Washington, D.C. [ [http://www.deltabusinessjournal.com/2003_Archives/04_April/APR-Cellular.php Delta Business Journal: Cellular South celebrates 15th anniversary] ] [ [http://www.cellularsouth.com/aboutus/CompanyProfile.html CellularSouth.com: History/Timeline (including transcript of the first call made between Manning and Lott] ] .

Growth

The company has grown steadily year after year and began an even more aggressive expansion in 1999. Since then, Cellular South has invested more than US$500 million in its wireless network, with 225 new cell sites added in 2006 and more added in 2007. Cellular South provides flat-rate, unlimited voice and data plans, nationwide digital coverage, and a voice and data network.

Cellular South celebrated its 20th Anniversary in February 2008.

In April 2008, Cellular South received broad media and blog attention when it started a limited time offer to pay early termination fees, thus allowing customers to switch carriers without charges. This was done via a credit of up to $200 on a customer's account to offset the early termination fees imposed by the customer's former wireless carrier. [ [http://consumerist.com/5007232/cellular-south-pays-your-early-termination-fee-if-you-switch-to-them Consumerist.com: Cellular South Pays Your Early Termination Fee If You Switch To Them] ] [ [http://www.msbusiness.com/article.cfm?ID=6168 Mississippi Business Journal: Cellular South offering 'switch' money] ] [ [http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2008/04/carriers_to_pay.html Business Week: Wireless Carriers to Pay for Customers' Switching?] ]

Community involvement

Their primary community focus of Cellular South is on improving opportunities for education through the Cellular South Foundation, which is a private foundation funded by Cellular South. The foundation's stated mission is to provide grants to Mississippi institutions of higher learning in order to help advance college education opportunities at these universities. The Foundation encourages and helps, through its Gameplan educational initiative, prepare high school students for college enrollment and through academic scholarships.

Additionally, the foundation provides financial assistance to community organizations that include the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity, Stewpot Community Services, Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Make-a-Wish Foundation, March of Dimes, The Mustard Seed, The Salvation Army, Special Olympics and the YMCA.

Cellular South also holds corporate sponsorships for:

*The Cellular South Cup professional tennis tournament in Memphis
*The University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi and University of Memphis athletic programs
*The Memphis Redbirds and Mississippi Braves minor league baseball teams
*The Mississippi RiverKings hockey team
*The Conerly Trophy award to Mississippi's best 4-year college football player
*The [http://www.msfame.com/sevents_ferriss.html Ferriss Trophy] award to Mississippi's best 4-year college baseball player
*The [http://www.msfame.com/sevents_ewbh.html Howell Trophy] award to Mississippi's best men's 4-year college basketball player
*The [http://www.msfame.com/sevents_gillom.html Gillom Trophy] award to Mississippi's best women's 4-year college basketball player

References