AirGate PCS, Inc. Announces Deployment of Network Exceeds Sprint PCS Build-out Requirements in All 21 Markets in Its Territory.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2000

Company Also Announces Network is Open for

End-to-End Sprint PCS Coverage Along I-95 Corridor

AirGate PCS, Inc., (Nasdaq/NM:PCSA), a Sprint PCS (NYSE:PCS) Network Partner, announced today that its initial network build-out has exceeded all of the Sprint PCS build-out requirements in each of the 21 basic trading areas, or BTAs, in AirGate's southeastern territory. AirGate's management agreement with Sprint PCS specified the terms of the Company's network build-out plan whereby AirGate agreed to cover a specified percentage of the population at coverage levels ranging from 39% to 86% within each of the 21 BTAs, or an average coverage ratio of approximately 65%, by specified dates beginning March 31, 2000 and ending on December 31, 2000. With the completion of its initial network build-out ahead of schedule, AirGate has expanded well beyond that requirement as the Company now provides coverage to approximately 5.4 million POPs, or approximately 76% of the total population in its southeastern territory.

"We are very pleased to announce the completion of our initial network build-out well in advance of the requirements of our management agreement with Sprint PCS," commented Thomas M. Dougherty, president and chief executive officer of AirGate PCS. "As a result of our superior execution of our operating strategy, we far exceeded market expectations, and, as a result, AirGate is now one of Sprint PCS' largest Network Partners based on covered population. AirGate has made exceptional progress to date in expanding the Sprint PCS national footprint, and we look forward to the many opportunities before us for continued success as we further expand our coverage. We have proven our ability to execute and are confident in our ability to win new customers and be a leading provider of wireless telecommunications services in our territory."

The Company also announced that the Sprint PCS nationwide, all-digital wireless, network along the portion of the I-95 corridor that is included in AirGate's territory, is now complete. With the deployment of the final cell sites on this portion of its network, Sprint PCS now has end-to-end coverage from Hinesville, south of Savannah, Georgia to the North Carolina-Virginia border north of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. AirGate will receive additional revenue from Sprint PCS when Sprint PCS customers travel into the AirGate service area and make calls on AirGate's portion of the Sprint PCS nationwide network. 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 revenue under their management agreement. There are no additional charges for Sprint PCS customers who have selected one of the national Sprint PCS Free & Clear Plans that feature no roaming charges anywhere on the Sprint PCS nationwide, wireless network.

"We are excited to announce that the portion of the I-95 corridor extending through AirGate's territory is now open for seamless end-to-end Sprint PCS coverage, another significant operating milestone for the Company," added Dougherty. "Having this continuous coverage allows us to capture additional revenue from wireless customers traveling onto our network along this busy interstate highway that extends from Maine all the way to southern Florida. The inclusion of a significant number of highway miles and major interstate corridors in AirGate's territory make this a very favorable market for roaming coverage. As such, we see even greater opportunity to benefit from attractive traffic patterns for wireless usage with our close proximity to other operational Sprint PCS markets and the large number of vacation destinations in our territory."

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 7.1 million licensed 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 has built 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 a large carrier 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 should be considered forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such forward looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are made based on management's current expectations or beliefs as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. A variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in AirGate PCS' forward-looking statements, including the following factors: potential fluctuations in quarterly results, our dependence on our affiliation with Sprint PCS; an adequate supply of infrastructure and subscriber equipment; new product development; rapid technological and market change; risks related to future growth and expansion; our significant level of indebtedness and volatility of stock prices. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements and factors that could cause actual results to differ from AirGate PCS' forward-looking statements, please refer to AirGate PCS' filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the "risk factors" section of AirGate PCS' Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1999, and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2000, and in subsequent filings with Securities and Exchange Commission.