GTE Mobilnet using AT&T gear for CDMA market trial in Texas

ATLANTA -- January 30, 1995 -- GTE Mobilnet announced today that it expects to begin, in early February its operational-readiness testing of Code Division Multiple Access technology (CDMA) in its Austin, Texas market using AT&T's 5ESS(R) -2000 Switch DCS. This phase of the GTE Mobilnet trial represents the first time CDMA technology will be deployed on AT&T's 5ESS-2000 switch.

CDMA is a digital technology which transmits and receives many coded signals on the same broad band of frequencies, thus substantially improving call volume and voice quality within a cellular network.

The purpose of GTE Mobilnet's CDMA trial, underway since October of 1994, is to validate the operational readiness and, ultimately, the market acceptability of CDMA technology for cellular applications and for new technology applications such as personal communications services (PCS), data transmission, paging and short-message services. Upon completion of the operational-readiness testing, GTE Mobilnet expects to begin its market trial of the new CDMA system during the second quarter of 1995.

"We believe CDMA shows great promise for the future, not only for existing cellular services, but also for new services on cellular systems such as PCS," said Ron Grawert, president of GTE Mobilnet. "GTE has taken a leadership role in the technology testing of CDMA, and soon we expect to begin assessing customer reaction to this new technology in our Austin market trial as we move towards commercial introduction of the system."

Jim Brewington, president of AT&T Network Wireless Systems, added, "The anticipated cutover, in early Fenruary, of GTE Mobilnet's CDMA system with production equipment moves AT&T one step closer to offering commercial deployment of CDMA by mid-year."

GTE and AT&T have been leaders in evaluating next- generation digital cellular technologies for several years. Currently, both companies are an integral part of the CDMA Development Group (CDG)--a consortium of 30 companies that is developing products and services necessary to bring CDMA digital cellular technology to the marketplace. GTE and AT&T are working with these other product and service providers to develop a set of standards for the cellular industry that will facilitate market introduction of CDMA services and also ensure interoperability among CDMA systems and digital phones.

GTE Mobilnet, which provides cellular telecommunications products and services as the general and operating partner in 47 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in 13 states, is a wholly owned subsidiary of GTE Corporation (NYSE: GTE).

GTE is the largest U.S.-based local telephone company and the second-largest cellular service provider in the United States, with potential to serve almost 30 percent of the country's population. With nearly $20 billion in revenues in 1994, GTE is the fourth-largest publicly held telecommunications company in the world.

AT&T Network Systems is a worldwide manufacturer of quality products and services, including wireless, switching, transmission, cable and computer-based operations systems. AT&T Network Systems manufactures the AUTOPLEX(R) System 1000 at its facility in Columbus, Ohio, and its 5ESS- 2000 Switch DCS in Oklahoma City, Okla.