SBC Communications Named One of America's Top 50 Companies for Minorities by Fortune Magazine.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 23, 2003

SBC Communications Leads Telecommunications Industry in Diversity

Best Practices for Fifth Consecutive Year

For the fifth consecutive year, SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) leads

"Growing and maintaining a diverse workforce makes us responsive to our employees, our customers and the communities where we live and work, and it remains a high priority for SBC," said Edward E. Whitacre Jr., SBC chairman and chief executive officer. "Our unwavering commitment to workforce and supplier diversity is fundamental to our success and helps us maintain our leadership in today's marketplace."

According to FORTUNE researcher Jonathan Hickman, who analyzed companies for the magazine's July 7 issue, "Anyone who believed that corporate America's devotion to diversity would wilt in the face of hard times should take a look at this year's Top 50. It has outdone the 2002 list across the board."

SBC Communications continues to develop best practices in diversity. The SBC workforce is 48 percent female and 38 percent people of color. In addition, this year the SBC supplier diversity program is celebrating 35 years of promoting opportunities for women-, minority-, and disabled veteran-owned businesses. In 2002, SBC spent 16.6 percent of its total procurement, or $1.7 billion, with these vendors.

In addition to its top 10 ranking overall, FORTUNE ranks SBC Communications fifth among employers of Hispanics.

To compile the ranking, FORTUNE surveyed the FORTUNE 1000 and the 200 largest privately held U.S. companies. Companies were judged, among other things, on overall diversity programs; employee bonuses tied to fulfilling diversity goals; number of minority graduates hired by companies; minority representation on the company's board of directors, among corporate officers and in middle management; recent hiring practices; percentage of dollars spent with outside minority-owned suppliers; and percentage of charitable contributions given to programs primarily benefiting minorities.

The company's efforts for promoting diversity have been acknowledged by other organizations as well, including being named: World's Most Admired and America's Most Admired telecommunications company, FORTUNE, 2003; America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council; Top 50 Companies for Diversity and one of the top ten companies for African Americans by DiversityInc.; Latina Style Top 50 Companies for Latinas; Hispanic magazine's top 100 companies for Hispanics; the Corporate Conscience Award, the only global award for social responsibility; and the 2002 Ron Brown Award for Corporate Citizenship, the only presidential award recognizing companies for outstanding achievement in employee and community relations.

SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) is one of the world's leading data, voice and Internet services providers. Through its world-class networks, SBC companies provide a full range of voice, data, networking and e-business services, as well as directory advertising and publishing. A Fortune 30 company, SBC is America's leading provider of high-speed DSL Internet Access services and one of the nation's leading Internet Service Providers. SBC companies currently serve 57 million access lines nationwide. In addition, SBC companies own 60 percent of America's second-largest wireless company, Cingular Wireless, which serves 22 million wireless customers. Internationally, SBC companies have telecommunications investments in 22 countries.