EXECUTION COPY
                             AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE



                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER



                                      among



                                   AT&T CORP.,



                                  WINSTON, INC.



                                       and



                        VANGUARD CELLULAR SYSTEMS, INC.,




                          Dated as of November 4, 1998











                                                                           


                  This AMENDMENT NO. 1 to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (this
"Amendment  No. 1") is entered into as of this 4th day of November,  1998 by and
among AT&T Corp., a New York corporation  ("Parent"),  Winston, Inc., a Delaware
corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Sub"), and Vanguard
Cellular  Systems,  Inc.,  a North  Carolina  corporation  (the  "Company",  and
together with Parent and Merger Sub, the "Parties").

                  WHEREAS,  the Parties have entered into an Agreement  and Plan
of Merger,  dated as of October 2, 1998 (the "Original Merger Agreement" and, as
amended by this Amendment No. 1, the "Merger Agreement");

                  WHEREAS,  the Parties desire to make certain amendments to the
Original  Merger  Agreement  in  contemplation  of a proposed  tender  offer and
consent solicitation for the Debentures;

                  WHEREAS,  the Parties desire that, except as set forth herein,
the Original Merger Agreement shall remain in full force and effect; and

                  WHEREAS,  capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein
shall have the respective meanings given in the Original Merger Agreement;

                  NOW,  THEREFORE,  in  consideration  of  the  representations,
warranties,  covenants and  agreements  contained  herein,  the Parties agree as
follows:

                   SECTION 1. Section 3.1(m) of the Original Merger Agreement is
amended to add the words  "and,  if the  Company  makes the  election in Section
5.9(2),  NationsBanc  Montgomey Securities LLC" to the end of the first sentence
and to add the words ", and a true and complete copy of the engagement letter of
NationsBanc Montgomery Securities LLC in the form attached to Schedule 5.9 shall
have been delivered to Parent prior to the  commencement  of the Tender Offer if
the Company makes the election in Section 5.9(2)".

                   SECTION  2.       Section 3.1 of the Original Merger
Agreement is amended to add the following:

                            (w)             Authority; No Conflicts.

                         (i) The Company has all requisite  corporate  power and
                       authority to execute and deliver  Amendment  No. 1 and to
                       consummate the transactions contemplated by Amendment No.
                       1  (which  shall  include,  for all  purposes  hereunder,
                       without  limitation,  the making and  consummation of the
                       Tender  Offer (as defined  herein)  and all  transactions
                       contemplated  thereby,  the  making  of the  Deposit  (as
                       defined   herein)  and  the   execution,   delivery   and
                       performance  of the  Supplemental  Indenture  (as defined
                       herein)).  The  execution,  delivery and  performance  of
                       Amendment No. 1 and the  consummation of the transactions
                       contemplated by Amendment No. 1 have been duly authorized
                       by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Company  and  all
                       nec
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                       essary  corporate  action on the part of the  Company.
                       Amendment  No. 1 has been duly  executed and delivered by
                       the Company and constitutes the legal,  valid and binding
                       obligation  of the  Company,  enforceable  against  it in
                       accordance with its terms,  except as such enforceability
                       may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
                       moratorium  and similar  laws  relating  to or  affecting
                       creditors   generally,   by  general  equity   principles
                       (regardless of whether such  enforceability is considered
                       in a  proceeding  in equity  or at law) or by an  implied
                       covenant of good faith and fair dealing.


                         (ii) The execution and delivery of Amendment No. 1 does
                       not and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
                       by  Amendment  No. 1 will  not  cause  or  result  in any
                       Violation   pursuant   to:  (A)  any   provision  of  the
                       Organizational  Documents  of the  Company  or any of its
                       Subsidiaries (B) (x) any Company Material Contract or (y)
                       any other  contract,  agreement or binding  obligation to
                       which  the  Company  or any  Subsidiary  is a party or to
                       which  any of its or their  assets  are  bound or (C) any
                       Law.

                         (iii) No consent,  waiver, permit,  approval,  order or
                       authorization of, or registration,  declaration or filing
                       with,  any  Governmental  Entity  (other than those which
                       have  been  obtained  or  made)  is  required  by or with
                       respect  to the  Company  or any of its  Subsidiaries  in
                       connection  with the  execution and delivery of Amendment
                       No. 1 by the Company or the  consummation  by the Company
                       of the transactions contemplated by Amendment No. 1.


                         (iv) Upon execution and delivery by the Company and the
                       Trustee  under  the  Indenture  (the  "Trustee")  of  the
                       Supplemental  Indenture  in  accordance  with the  Tender
                       Offer,  the Majority  Covenants (as defined  herein) will
                       not apply to the  Company or any of its  affiliates.  The
                       Company has reviewed the Supplemental Indentures with its
                       counsel,  the Trustee and such Trustee's counsel,  and is
                       aware  of  no  reason  that,   assuming  receipt  of  the
                       Requisite Consents (as defined herein),  the Supplemental
                       Indenture would not be executed by the Trustee.

                            (x) Tender Offer Matters.  The  consummation  of the
              transactions contemplated by Amendment No. 1 shall comply with all
              applicable laws  including,  without  limitation,  all federal and
              state securities laws. None of the offer to purchase or any of the
              related  materials  to be  sent or  delivered  by the  Company  in
              connection   with  the  Tender  Offer  shall  contain  any  untrue
              statement  of a  material  fact or omit to state a  material  fact
              required to be stated  therein or  necessary  in order to make the
              statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they
              were  made,  not  misleading.   The  supplemental 

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              indenture  (the
              "Supplemental  Indenture")  to be entered into in connection  with
              the Tender Offer,  upon  execution by the Company and the Trustee,
              shall be valid and enforceable  and in full force and effect,  and
              neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries  shall violate any
              provision of, or commit or fail to perform any act which,  with or
              without  notice,  lapse of  time,  or both,  could  reasonably  be
              expected to constitute a default under the provisions of, any such
              Supplemental Indenture.


                   SECTION  3.       Section 5.9 of the Original Merger 
Agreement is amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

                  5.9  Debentures.  (a) Subject to compliance  with this Section
         5.9,  the Company  may, at its  election,  commence a tender  offer and
         consent  solicitation  (the "Tender  Offer") to purchase the  Company's
         outstanding 9 3/8% Debentures due 2006 (the  "Debentures") on the terms
         and conditions set forth in Schedule 5.9 hereto, which shall effect the
         deletion  of  substantially   all  of  the  covenants  in  the  related
         Indenture,  dated  as of  April  1,  1996,  as  amended  by  the  First
         Supplemental  indenture  thereto,  dated  as of  April  1,  1996 (as so
         amended,  the  "Indenture"),  which may be deleted  therefrom  with the
         consent (the "Requisite  Consent") of a majority in principal amount of
         outstanding  Debentures,  as set forth in Schedule  5.9 (the  "Majority
         Covenants").

                          (b) The Tender Offer shall be commenced as promptly as
         practicable  following  the date of Amendment No. 1, and, in any event,
         within three days following such date (the "Third Day").  Except as may
         be required by law,  the Company  shall not extend the consent  date or
         expiration  date of, or amend or waive any terms or conditions  of, the
         Tender  Offer,  or deem  any  condition  thereof  not to be  satisfied,
         without  Parent's  prior  written  consent  (in its  sole  discretion),
         provided  that,  on any  scheduled  consent date under the Tender Offer
         prior to November 25, 1998,  the Company may extend such consent  date,
         for one business day, if on such consent date the Requisite Consent has
         not been received.

                          (c) All documentation delivered in connection with the
         Tender Offer shall be  acceptable  to Parent (in its sole  discretion),
         and Parent shall be provided  all such  documentation  sufficiently  in
         advance  of  the  anticipated  date  of use of  such  documentation  to
         meaningfully  review and  comment on such  documentation.  The  Company
         shall provide  Parent with (i) opinions of North  Carolina and New York
         counsel to the Company,  addressed  to both the Company and Parent,  in
         form and substance  satisfactory to Parent (in its sole discretion) and
         as set forth in Schedule 5.9 hereto  respecting  the  commencement  and
         consummation  of the Tender Offer and the execution and delivery of the
         Supplemental  Indenture and (ii) reliance letters permitting Parent and
         the Company to rely on any legal opinions or certificates  delivered in
         connection therewith.

                          (d) If the  Tender  Offer  is  commenced  (x) upon the
         receipt of the Requisite Consent, the Company shall execute and use its
         best  efforts  to  cause  the
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         Trustee  to  execute,  the  Supplemental
         Indenture at the Consent Time (as defined in the Tender  Offer) and (y)
         upon the  expiration of the period for tendering  Debentures  under the
         Tender Offer,  if the  conditions to  consummation  of the Tender Offer
         have been satisfied,  the Company shall accept for payment and purchase
         all  Debentures  validly  tendered  thereunder  and shall  deliver such
         Debentures to the Trustee under the Indenture for cancellation.

                          (e) Promptly  following  the  expiration of the period
         for  tendering  Debentures  under the Tender Offer  without  Debentures
         being purchased  thereunder,  or upon the Third Day if the Tender Offer
         shall not have been  commenced by such day, the Company  shall make the
         deposit  (the  "Deposit")   contemplated  by  Section  6.1A(1)  of  the
         Indenture  and  shall  use  its  best  efforts  to  satisfy  all  other
         conditions  to the covenant  defeasance  provisions of Sections 6.1 and
         6.1A of the  Indenture so that such  covenant  defeasance  shall become
         effective  with respect to all  Debentures  as promptly as  practicable
         thereafter.

                   SECTION  4.       Section 6.2(k) of the Original Merger
Agreement is amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

                            (k) Debentures. Either (i) all Debentures shall have
         been  covenant  defeased  (and all  conditions  thereto  satisfied)  in
         accordance with the covenant defeasance  provisions of Sections 6.1 and
         6.1A of the  Indenture or (ii) the  Supplemental  Indenture  shall have
         become effective and the provisions thereof shall have become operative
         and the  Majority  Covenants  shall no longer  apply to or restrict the
         operations of the Company and its successors.

                   SECTION 5.  Sections  7.2(f) and (g) of the  Original  Merger
Agreement are amended and restated in their entirety to read as follows:

                   (f) If this  Agreement  is  terminated  pursuant  to  Section
         7.1(h)  and  the  Company  prior  to  the  date  of  such   termination
         consummated  the Tender  Offer,  then  Parent  will pay the  Company an
         amount equal to the product of (x) $3.5 million and (y) the  percentage
         of outstanding  Debentures  purchased under the Tender Offer,  plus all
         Company Expenses which may be owed pursuant to Section 7.2(c).  If this
         Agreement  is  terminated  pursuant  to Section  7.1(h) and the Company
         prior  to the date of such  termination  irrevocably  made the  Deposit
         pursuant to Section 5.9(e) hereof,  then Parent will pay the Company an
         amount equal to $4.5 million.

                  (g) If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 7.1(b)
         and the Company prior to the date of such  termination  consummated the
         Tender  Offer,  then Parent will pay the Company an amount equal to the
         product of (x) $1.75  million  and (y) the  percentage  of  outstanding
         Debentures  purchased under the Tender Offer, plus all Company Expenses
         which may be owed  pursuant to Section  7.2(c).  If this  Agreement  is
         terminated pursuant to Section 7.1(b) and the Company prior to the date
         of such  termination  irrevocably  made the Deposit pur
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         suant to Section
         5.9(e)  hereof,  then Parent  will pay the  Company an amount  equal to
         $2.25 million.

                   SECTION 6. Except as set forth  herein,  the Original  Merger
Agreement  shall  remain  in full  force and  effect.  All  references  to "this
Agreement" in the Original Merger  Agreement shall be references to the Original
Merger Agreement as amended pursuant to this Amendment No. 1.






                  IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the  parties  below  have  caused  this
Amendment  No. 1 to be duly executed by persons duly  authorized,  all as of the
date first written above.


                                      AT&T CORP.



                                      By: /s/Michael Berg
                                          ----------------
                                      Name:  Michael Berg
                                      Title: Assistant Secretary

                                      WINSTON, INC.


                                      By: /s/ David J. Pester
                                          -------------------
                                      Name:   David J. Pester
                                      Title:  Secretary


                                      VANGUARD CELLULAR SYSTEMS, INC.

                                      By: /s/ Richard C. Rowlenson
                                          ------------------------
                                      Name:   Richard C. Rowlenson
                                      Title:  Executive Vice President