First Mile Communications and Southern Telecom® introduce
fixed broadband wireless solutions at the INFORUM

Companies transform the INFORUM into a fixed broadband wireless hub site.

ATLANTA - April 18, 2006 – First Mile Communications, a provider of high-capacity broadband wireless solutions, and Southern Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), today announced that they will transform the INFORUM, a 990,000-square-foot building located in downtown Atlanta, into a major hub site for broadband wireless.

First Mile will now be able to offer customers high-capacity wireless access to and from the INFORUM, one of the premier telecommunications facilities in the Southeast. Beginning today, First Mile will be able to offer broadband wireless connections to some 5,600 businesses in 1,500 office buildings within a five-mile radius of the building, including Bank of America Plaza, Colony Square, Centennial Tower and One Georgia Center. As a result, businesses throughout the downtown Atlanta areas will be able to connect with telecommunications carriers in the INFORUM.

"We are excited to establish the INFORUM as a major hub site for our services," said R. Stanley Allen, president of First Mile Communications. "We can now connect business customers in downtown and midtown Atlanta to first-tier telecommunications carriers and state-of-the art facilities at the INFORUM through our secure, high-capacity, cost-effective wireless links."

With existing fiber optic facilities and networking equipment already located in the INFORUM, Southern Telecom's facilities enable customers to access to other points on Southern Telecom's fiber ring, essentially extending that ring via wireless last mile.

"Having the INFORUM as a wireless hub site in conjunction with First Mile enables us to expand the reach of our network to better serve current and future customers," said Ben Easterling, business development manager for Southern Telecom. "The substantial number of buildings and businesses within reach of the INFORUM through fixed broadband wireless is impressive and allows us to offer our Wireless Lateral™ product."

The agreement with First Mile brings a higher capacity, scalable, turnkey connectivity with quick installation to customers. By using state-of-the-art equipment, it allows for reliable, flexible high- capacity wireless links as well as complete route diversity from land-based telecommunications providers. Southern Telecom and First Mile have tailored the fixed wireless offering as an easy-to-use means of reaching buildings located throughout Atlanta.

About First Mile
First Mile Communications, LLC provides turnkey installation and operation of high-capacity scalable and secure wireless links in metropolitan Atlanta. First Mile transmits from strategically located hub sites using state-of-the-art equipment, sources FCC-licensed spectrum, provides roof and access rights, cabling and customer premise equipment. These links offer complete route diversity, redundancy from land-based telecommunications providers in disaster recovery roles. First Mile was founded by R. Stanley Allen and Michael O. McCollum, experienced telecommunications executives. For more information on First Mile visit www.firstmile.com.

About Southern Telecom
Southern Telecom® is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company that provides long-haul and metropolitan dark fiber connecting Atlanta with other smaller cities throughout the Southeast. The company also provides rights of way, dark fiber, conduit, colocation and other related maintenance services. Southern Telecom is certified in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and also at the Federal level. For more information about Southern Telecom visit www.southern-telecom.com.

About Southern Company
With more than 4 million customers and more than 40,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of electricity. Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average. Southern Company has been ranked the nation's top energy utility in the American Customer Satisfaction Index six years in a row. Southern Company has more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely held in the United States. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

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