AirGate PCS, Inc., A Sprint PCS Network Partner, Announces Commercial Launch of Advanced Wireless Communications Service in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2000

AirGate PCS, Inc., (Nasdaq/NM: PCSA), a Sprint PCS (NYSE: PCS) Network Partner, announced today the launch of advanced wireless personal communications services (PCS) in additional markets located in the Company's southeastern territory. This phase of AirGate's commercial launch covers key strategic areas including the coastal regions of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina. As a result, AirGate will have the immediate opportunity to offer Sprint PCS Products and Services to over 400,000 residents in the combined markets. This region also includes major tourist and vacation locations along the beaches of North and South Carolina that draw over 27 million visitors annually. Therefore, AirGate will receive additional roaming revenue from Sprint PCS on behalf of their customers who use AirGate's PCS network while traveling on highways in this area. In addition, the Company will receive roaming revenue from other wireless carriers with whom Sprint PCS has roaming agreements.

AirGate and Sprint PCS settle the exchange of roaming revenue under their affiliation management agreement with no additional charges passed on to Sprint PCS customers who have selected one of the national Sprint PCS Free & Clear Plans which feature free long distance calling from a Sprint PCS Phone and no roaming charges anywhere on the Sprint PCS nationwide, wireless network.

"This is a very exciting time for AirGate PCS," commented Thomas M. Dougherty, president and chief executive officer of AirGate PCS. "We continue to move ahead with our anticipated network build-out schedule and are very pleased to announce the launch of commercial PCS service for consumers and businesses in these important coastal markets of Myrtle Beach and Wilmington. The addition of these markets brings AirGate's total coverage up to nearly 30% of our total market area of over 6.8 million residents, and further extends the Sprint PCS nationwide digital network. In addition, with the upcoming tourist season for these popular beach areas, this region offers an immediate opportunity to benefit from attractive traffic patterns for roaming activity."

Dougherty continued, "As the exclusive provider of Sprint PCS Products and Services in our territory, we have the opportunity to benefit from the brand identity and exceptional support of Sprint PCS, the fastest growing wireless provider in the nation. We believe that AirGate will continue to play a key role in expanding Sprint PCS' nationwide service and we are confident in our ability to execute and capture significant market share in these attractive southeastern markets."

AirGate PCS, Inc. is the exclusive manager and operator of Sprint PCS Products and Services throughout most of the state of South Carolina, including Charleston, Columbia and Greenville-Spartanburg, parts of North Carolina, including Asheville, Wilmington and Hickory, and the eastern Georgia cities of Augusta and Savannah. With a territory that includes more than 6.8 million POPs covering 62,000 contiguous square miles. AirGate PCS is one of the largest Sprint PCS Network Partners based on the size of the population in its territory. As a Sprint PCS Network Partner, AirGate PCS is building its own PCS network to exclusively provide 100 percent digital, 100 percent PCS products and services under the Sprint PCS brand names in its territory.

Sprint PCS operates the largest 100 percent digital, 100 percent PCS nationwide wireless network in the United States, already serving the majority of the nation's metropolitan areas including more than 4,000 cities and communities across the country. Sprint PCS has licensed PCS coverage of nearly 270 million people in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, visit the Sprint PCS web site at http://www.sprintpcs.com. Sprint PCS is a wholly owned tracking group of Sprint Corporation trading on the NYSE under the symbol "PCS."

Sprint is a global communications company at the forefront of integrating long- distance, local and wireless communications services, and one of the largest carriers of Internet traffic. Sprint built and operates the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and is a leader in advanced data communications services. Sprint has $20 billion in annual revenues and serves more than 20 million business and residential customers.

Statements contained in this news release regarding expected financial results and other planned events are forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. Actual future events or results may differ materially from these statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by AirGate PCS, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the most recent filings which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including potential fluctuations in quarterly results, dependence on new product development, rapid technological and market change, risks related to future growth and rapid expansion, volatility of stock prices, and risks related to the year 2000. These and other applicable risks are summarized under the caption "risk factors" in the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-79189-01), as declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 1999.