T-Mobile to expand GSM/GPRS service

T-Mobile and Western Wireless Corporation announce continued expansion of advanced GSM/GPRS 1900 MHz wireless communication services in rural western markets.

Also today, T-Mobile USA and Cingular Wireless agreed to expand the roaming arrangement reached by the companies last year, and to extend it until 2006.

For T-Mobile’s customers, the roaming agreement with Western Wireless expands advanced GSM/GPRS 1900 voice and data service along more than 5,500 highway miles and across much of the Western UnitedStates including Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas; New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Iowa. With these and T-Mobile’s otherexisting agreements, T-Mobile’s GSM/GPRS 1900 network will reach approximately 253 million people.

Under the agreement with Western Wireless, Western Wireless will build its GSM/GPRS 1900 network to cover approximately 4 million people using new 1900 MHz spectrum to be purchased from T-Mobile,subject to regulatory approvals. Western Wireless expects to add GSM/GPRS to one-half of its existing cell sites by mid-2004, leveraging its existing network infrastructure to provide a costeffective solution with extensive coverage to its roaming partners.

“T-Mobile is committed to delivering on our Get More(R) promise to our customers and making advanced GSM services as widely available in the United States as they are around the world,” said RobertDotson, CEO and President of T-Mobile USA.

“T-Mobile operates the largest GSM footprint across the country reaching 245 million people and serving over 10 million customers. We will continue to lead the way so that our customers can enjoy thebenefits of our service across the western plains, the Atlantic Ocean or wherever their travels take them.”

“T-Mobile has been a pioneer of GSM in the U.S. and Western Wireless is uniquely positioned to help bring GSM services to rural America” said Mikal Thomsen, President of Western Wireless. “We’reexcited to be working with T-Mobile through this innovative agreement that quickly brings the world’s technology standard to rural markets for customers.”

T-Mobile also agreed with Cingular Wireless to expand the roaming deal reached by the companies last year, specifically to include advanced data services and expanded highway coverage, and to extendit until 2006. Cingular Wireless is a joint venture between SBC Communications (NYSE – SBC) and BellSouth (NYSE – BLS).

Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed. Western Wireless expects to begin offering GSM service by the end of the third quarter of 2003.