Cellular South has added 10 new transmission sites in central Mississippi as part of the Jackson-based company’s plan to establish a total of 200 new sites this year.

The cellular telephone company said it has invested more than $400 million in its network in the past seven years.

The new transmission sites are in Hinds, Rankin, Leake, Scott and Madison counties.

Cingular Wireless said as of August it had put up 38 of the 160 new cell sites it plans for the state this year.

Joe Larussa, Cingular’s vice president and general manager for the southeast region, said the new sites are part of a $90 million network investment statewide. He said the result will be improved coverage in Tupelo, Oxford, Columbus, Jackson, Meridian, Hattiesburg, Laurel, Natchez, Brookhaven, McComb, Gulfport and Biloxi.

Other cellular companies are expanding coverage in Mississippi.

Verizon Wireless, which entered the metro-Jackson market this year after several years on the Gulf Coast, continues to expand as does the Sprint Nextel systems.

Sprint Nextel spokeswoman Kristin Wallace said a combined six new sites will be in by year’s end and new antennas are being added to existing sites on both the Sprint and Nextel networks. She said the move will increase call capacity.