ATLANTA, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), announced today that President and CEO Don Horsley has been appointed to the boards of directors of three wireless industry organizations: CTIA–The Wireless Association®, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) and the Rural Cellular Association (RCA).

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"I appreciate this opportunity to participate with CTIA, EWA and RCA on their missions to advocate on behalf of the wireless industry," said Horsley. "I look forward to contributing a regional carrier's perspective to all three organizations."

Horsley joins eight other regional carrier representatives on CTIA's 38-member board of directors. His term of office continues through 2012. CTIA announced its election results at CTIA ENTERPRISE & APPLICATIONS™ 2011, an annual wireless industry convention, held earlier this month in San Diego. Based in Washington, D.C., CTIA is a not-for-profit, international organization representing the wireless communications industry.

During the EWA's 2011 Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tenn., the trade group elected Horsley to a one-year term on its board of directors. EWA is at the forefront of spectrum management and advocacy issues and provides vital services necessary for the successful deployment of wireless communications.

Lastly, at the 2011 RCA Fall Expo in Las Vegas, the organization selected Horsley to serve on its board of directors through 2013. RCA is the nation's leading association for competitive wireless providers serving rural and regional areas of the United States.

Part of Southern Company for more than 30 years, Don Horsley, was named president and CEO of SouthernLINC Wireless on Aug. 1, 2011. He concurrently serves in the same capacity for Southern Telecom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SouthernLINC Wireless.

Active in community service throughout his career, Horsley holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from the University of Alabama.

About SouthernLINC Wireless

SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is an Atlanta-based regional wireless carrier with network coverage in the major metro and rural areas of Alabama, Georgia, southeast Mississippi and northwest Florida. SouthernLINC Wireless combines multiple communication options, including Push To Talk two-way radio (PTT), cellular service, wireless Internet access, wireless data, and text and picture messaging, into one hand-held device. In addition to regional network coverage, the company offers nationwide access through roaming agreements for cellular, PTT, data, and text and picture messaging services in more than 540 cities throughout the U.S. For more information, please call 1-800-818-LINC (5462) or visit www.southernlinc.com.

About Southern Company

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. 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 below the national average. Southern Company was named the World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility by Fortune magazine in 2011, and is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE SouthernLINC Wireless