Exhibit 99.1

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

Contact: Will Seippel
Chief Financial Officer
(404) 525-7272



               AIRGATE PCS SUBSIDIARY IPCS, INC. FILES CHAPTER 11
                            REORGANIZATION PROCEEDING


Atlanta (February 24, 2003) - AirGate PCS, Inc. (NASDAQ/NM:PCSA) today announced
that its wholly-owned unrestricted subsidiary,  iPCS, Inc. and its subsidiaries,
iPCS Wireless, Inc. and iPCS Equipment, Inc., have filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy
petition in the United  States  Bankruptcy  Court for the  Northern  District of
Georgia for the purpose of effecting a court-administered  reorganization. As an
unrestricted  subsidiary,  iPCS is a separate corporate entity from AirGate with
its own independent  financing sources, debt obligations and sources of revenue.
Furthermore,  iPCS  lenders,  noteholders  and  creditors  do not have a lien or
encumbrance on assets of AirGate,  and AirGate  cannot provide  capital or other
financial support to iPCS. The Company believes AirGate operations will continue
independent of the outcome of the iPCS  bankruptcy.  However,  it is likely that
AirGate's  ownership interest in iPCS will have no value after the restructuring
is complete.

As previously  announced,  the Company took total  impairment  charges  totaling
$817.4 million in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2002,  associated with the
impairment of goodwill,  tangible and  intangible  assets related to iPCS. As of
December  31,  2002,  the  carrying  value of iPCS on the books of AirGate was a
negative amount of ($169.8) million.

"It is  unfortunate  that a  bankruptcy  filing  became  necessary  to  effect a
restructuring of iPCS," said Thomas M. Dougherty,  president and chief executive
officer of AirGate  PCS.  "I am pleased,  however,  that Tim Yager has taken the
role  of  chief   restructuring   officer  for  iPCS,   responsible  for  iPCS's
restructuring effort and day-to-day  operations.  With Tim leading iPCS, AirGate
PCS'  management  will be able to focus  more on our  Southeast  operations  and
implement our `smart growth strategy' to increase the percentage of higher value
prime credit quality  subscribers in our subscriber  base and improve  operating
cash flow through cost reductions and other initiatives."

As a result of the bankruptcy filing, the Company anticipates that the financial
results of iPCS will no longer be consolidated with those of AirGate  subsequent
to the  bankruptcy.  Accordingly,  the primary focus of the Company's  financial
statements and disclosures will be on AirGate's operations in the Southeast.

In connection with appointment of an iPCS chief restructuring  officer,  AirGate
PCS also amended its Services  Agreement  with iPCS to, among other things,  (i)
eliminate  certain  management  services  provided  by AirGate as of February 1,
2003, and (ii) generally  permit either party to terminate  individual  services
upon 30 days notice.





About AirGate

AirGate PCS,  Inc.,  excluding  its  unrestricted  subsidiary  iPCS,  is the PCS
Affiliate  of  Sprint  with  the  exclusive  right  to  sell  wireless  mobility
communications   network  products  and  services  under  the  Sprint  brand  in
territories  within three states located in the Southeastern  United States. The
territories   include  over  7.1  million  residents  in  key  markets  such  as
Charleston,  Columbia, and  Greenville-Spartanburg,  South Carolina; and Augusta
and Savannah, Georgia.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This news release contains forward-looking  statements that are based on current
expectations,  estimates,  forecasts and  projections  about AirGate,  iPCS, the
wireless industry, our beliefs and our management's  assumptions.  Words such as
"expects,"  "anticipates,"  "targets," "goals," "projects,"  "intends," "plans,"
"believes,"  "seeks,"  "estimates"  and  variations  of such  words and  similar
expressions  are intended to identify  such  forward-looking  statements.  These
statements are not guarantees of future  performance  and involve certain risks,
uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict.  Therefore,  actual
outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in
such forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause  actual  results to differ  include:  the impact of the
filing  of,  and  developments  in,  the  iPCS  reorganization  proceeding;  the
potential need for additional sources of liquidity;  the unsettled nature of the
wireless  market;  the current economic  slowdown;  the potential to continue to
experience  a high rate of  customer  turnover;  our  ability to predict  future
customer growth, as well as other key operating metrics; the competitiveness and
impact  of  Sprint  pricing  plans,  products  and  services;   the  ability  to
successfully  launch and  leverage 3G products  and  services;  customer  credit
quality; our ability to retain customers;  the ability of Sprint to provide back
office,  customer care and other services;  the prices charged by Sprint for its
services;  consumer  purchasing  patterns;  potential  fluctuations in quarterly
results;  an  adequate  supply of  subscriber  equipment;  risks  related to our
ability to compete with larger, more established businesses; rapid technological
and market  change;  risks  related to future  growth  and  expansion;  rates of
penetration  in the  wireless  industry;  impacts  of  spending  cuts on network
quality, customer retention and customer growth;  anticipated future losses; the
significant  levels  of  indebtedness;  and the  adequacy  of bad debt and other
reserves.

For a detailed  discussion of these and other cautionary  statements and factors
that could  cause  actual  results to differ from those  contained  in this news
release,  please refer to AirGate PCS' filings with the  Securities and Exchange
Commission  ("SEC"),  especially in the "risk  factors"  section of AirGate PCS'
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended  September 30, 2002 and in its Form 10-Q for
the quarter  ended  December  31, 2002 and in  subsequent  filings with the SEC.
Except as otherwise  required  under federal  securities  laws and the rules and
regulations  of the SEC, we do not have any intention or obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking  statements,  whether as a result of new information,
future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

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