NEW ORLEANS--Cingular Wireless announced today at CTIA Wireless 2005 that its subscriber base now totals more than 50 million, becoming the first U.S. carrier to reach such a milestone.

According to Cingular, its subscriber base has swelled by about three million since Oct. 1 of last year. “We are now number one in Hispanic market share, youth market share and overall market share,” said Cingular COO Ralph de la Vega. He credited the growth in large part to improved network coverage, noting that in the months since the carrier’s merger with AT&T Wireless wrapped on Oct. 26, customer satisfaction with its network quality has increased 60%. “We’re advertising to that,” de la Vega said, referring to Cingular’s “Raising the Bar” campaign, emphasizing call coverage. “It’s not just a brand.”

Also on Tuesday, Cingular announced exclusive rights to market “Star Wars”-related mobile content, promising nine custom games, 50 MMS cards and over 100 ringtones based on George Lucas’ popular film series. Cingular will also release a branded “Star Wars” handset created by Sony Ericsson.