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Technology Stocks : Brightpoint - CELL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Paul Shread who wrote (817)	8/20/1998 2:32:00 PM
From: JakeStraw	Respond to of 1999

SecurFone America, Inc. Announces $99.99 Prepaid Handset and Airtime Package SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 1998--SecurFone America, Inc. (OTC/BB: SFAI) has introduced new pricing for its Buy-the-Minute(tm) prepaid cellular handset and airtime bundle. The new suggested retail price of $99.99 provides the consumer with a fully featured cellular handset, cellular service activation and 20 minutes of local airtime. To keep talking, customers purchase Buy-the-Minute airtime cards with prepaid airtime as low as 50 cents a minute. ''The prepaid segment of wireless is growing faster than analysts originally projected. SecurFone is launching an aggressive pricing and value strategy to capture a major share of this market,'' said Paul B. Silverman, CEO of SecurFone. ''We are confident that our new pricing, coupled with our ability to deliver quality customer care and reliable support to our retail partners, will move us quickly to a leadership position as a national prepaid service provider.'' SecurFone markets its prepaid offering under the brand Buy-the-Minute, with service activation under its national network of cellular airtime resale agreements. Buy-the-Minute products and prepaid airtime cards are distributed through SecurFone's alliance with Brightpoint, Inc. (NASDAQ: CELL - news), a leading provider of distribution and value-added logistics services to the wireless communications industry. SecurFone America, Inc. founded in 1996, is a telecommunications company specializing in prepaid communications service. Through its prepaid network product, SFA Network Services, SecurFone offers its prepaid wireless platform to other communications companies on a complete turnkey or component basis. SecurFone America is an OTC/BB stock and trades under the symbol SFAI. The company is based in San Diego, Calif. Statements made in this press release, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking and subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management's belief as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. Contact: SecurFone America, Inc. Derek Davis, Chief Operating Officer 619/677-5580

To: Paul Shread who wrote (817)	8/20/1998 3:34:00 PM
From: JakeStraw	Respond to of 1999

S&P Revises Outlook to Positive on Brightpoint Inc.; Ratings Affirmed NEW YORK, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's today revised its outlook on Brightpoint Inc.'s to positive from stable reflecting improving profitability. Standard & Poor's also affirmed its double-'B'-minus corporate credit and bank loan ratings and single-'B' subordinated debt rating on the company. The ratings reflect Brightpoint's position as a leading distributor and provider of value-added logistics services in the rapidly growing but still fragmented and highly competitive wireless communications products market, and significant, growth-related funding requirements. Indianapolis, Ind.-based Brightpoint's high revenue growth reflects the company's rapid global expansion and strong underlying demand for wireless communications products. With fiscal 1997 revenues of $1.0 billion, Brightpoint's annual growth has exceed 50% in each of the past three years. An increasing base of higher-margin services revenues has driven operating margins (before depreciation and amortization) above 5% for the six months ended June 30, 1998, as compared to 4.5% in the prior year period. Standard & Poor's expects continued moderate improvements in profitability as services revenues increase. Brightpoint's fairly aggressive acquisition profile is expected to moderate now that the company has largely established its presence in international markets. Although free operating cash flow is typically negative at revenue growth levels in excess of 50%, coverage of interest from earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) is expected to remain in excess of 5 times (x). A $200 million bank facility provides adequate financial flexibility. OUTLOOK: POSITIVE Sustained improvements in profitability and debt protection measures could lead to an improvement in ratings over the next several years. -- CreditWire SOURCE: Standard & Poor's CreditWire