ATLANTA, July 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), announced today it has launched its fifth Southern Heroes promotion. From now through Aug. 31, 2009, go to www.southernheroes.com to nominate a small business, business professional or work team from Alabama, Florida, Georgia or Mississippi for a chance to be honored as a Southern Hero.

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Three eligible nominees that exemplify the Southern Heroes spirit through empowering their local communities, improving the quality of life of residents, and giving back to those in need will be selected as winners. In order to help further each Southern Hero's altruistic efforts, a $2009.00 contribution will also be made, in accordance with promotional rules, to an eligible, not-for-profit organization of each winner's choosing.

"There are countless small businesses and entrepreneurs that, despite challenging economic times, continue to instill charitable initiatives into their company cultures and business practices," said Bob Dawson, president and CEO of SouthernLINC Wireless. "With this in mind, SouthernLINC Wireless will honor three Southeastern businesses that are passionate about helping others and making a difference in their local communities as 2009 Southern Heroes."

SouthernLINC Wireless will reward the winning Southern Heroes in several ways, including organizing a "hometown celebration" to publicly acknowledge their achievements, promoting each Southern Hero's story to appropriate media outlets, and contributing to each Southern Hero's favorite charity.

No purchase is necessary to submit a nomination or be selected as a Southern Hero. To nominate a prospective Southern Hero, learn more about the promotion or view the official promotional rules, visit www.southernheroes.com. To receive regular updates about Southern Heroes, become a fan on Facebook and follow @SouthernHeroes on Twitter.

Nominations must be submitted via online entry on or before Aug. 31, 2009. One Southern Hero from the state of Florida and two Southern Heroes from Alabama, Georgia or Mississippi will be chosen by a qualified panel of judges from all eligible entries received by the deadline. The nominees selected as Southern Heroes will be notified and announced by Sept. 30, 2009.

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 bundles multiple communication options, including Push To Talk two-way radio, cellular service, text messaging, wireless Internet access and wireless data, into one hand-held device. 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 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 is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE SouthernLINC Wireless