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To: Johnny Canuck who wrote (6694)	12/24/1997 10:20:00 AM
From: Harvey Rosenkrantz	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

CDMA is coming to Vietnam. ÿ AirTel USA Consortium Secures Agreement For Vietnam Nationwide Telecom Network December 24, 1997 COSTA MESA, Calif.---- AirTel USA, Inc., leading a multi-national telecom consortium which includes Harrison Digicom, Inc. and Lucent Technologies, announced today that it has reached agreement in principal with the Vietnamese Government and National Telephone Company of Vietnam (VNPT) to jointly build and operate a nationwide telecommunications network throughout Vietnam, a country now with only 1.6 million telephones available to serve a rapidly growing population which exceeds 78 million. The network will utilize advanced wireless technologies, particularly CDMA, to provide an extensive array of fixed and mobile services, including Personal Communications Services (PCS). The network will also deploy Wireless Local Loop (WLL), VSAT and ESMR systems, as well as high-speed transmission and gateway facilities to expand Vietnam's national and international communications. Casey Freymuth, AirTel USA's Executive Vice President of Industry Relations, reports that AirTel's partnership with the Vietnamese Government and VNPT has been defined and the network project has received an endorsement from the Prime Minister's office. "We expect to commence installation of the multi-phased network during the 2nd quarter of 1998 and begin serving customers during the 4th quarter of 1998," says Freymuth. "If network implementation proceeds as planned and customer forecasts are realized, approximately 10 million customers will be using the network by 2005. " Freymuth explains that a key factor in the selection of AirTel by the Vietnam Government has been the presence of Harrison Digicom, a pioneer in Vietnam's telecommunications development. "In 1992, Harrison's wholly owned long distance operating company, TRANSPAC Communications, had a leadership role in re-establishing direct international access to Vietnam. Harrison's long-time commitment to this market has been the key to the consortium's success." "The AirTel consortium now includes Lucent Technologies as our primary strategic vendor," Freymuth reports, "and we are continually seeking strategic partners to expand and strengthen the AirTel consortium as we focus on financial and implementation issues related to the network project. This is a long-term, multi-US billion dollar undertaking within an emerging country which has a solid economic foundation and is very well positioned for sustained economic growth into the 21st century and beyond, and we're reviewing and enhancing our plans on a real-time basis." AirTel USA is an international telecommunications infrastructure development firm and operator specializing in wireless technologies. It maintains offices in North America and Asia.