Nokia Signs $35 Million Contract to Supply Wireless Phones to Pacific Bell Mobile Services

IRVING, Texas (April 7, 1997) -- Nokia today announced it has signed an agreement valued at up to $35 million to supply Pacific Bell Mobile Services with digital PCS wireless handsets.

The new phones, which feature built-in pagers and answering machines, will operate on the Pacific Bell Mobile Services (PCS) network.

Pacific Bell Mobile Services presently provides PCS -- short for Personal Communications Services -- in San Diego County, Las Vegas and the greater Sacramento area. The company plans to provide service throughout most of California and Nevada by mid-1997.

Unlike analog cellular or digital cellular hybrids, Pacific Bell Mobile Services provides 100 percent pure digital PCS technology. The company’s PCS service offers superior sound quality and reliability, unprecedented protection from eavesdropping and fraud, and greater affordability. Pacific Bell Mobile Services has selected a network standard known as Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communications. GSM has a long track record of proven performance and reliability among nearly 40 million PCS users from more than 200 networks operating in more than 100 countries.

Nokia to Begin Immediate Delivery

Under the terms of the one-year agreement, Nokia plans to begin delivering the new PCS phones to Pacific Bell Mobile Services in April. The phones, sold as an off-the-shelf retail product, will be co-branded by Pacific Bell Mobile Services and Nokia.

“As the world leader in digital mobile phones, Nokia is delighted to be providing our feature-rich GSM 1900 handsets to Pacific Bell Mobile Services,” stated Dan Paulson, Director, Sales-Subscriber Equipment, Nokia Americas. “Nokia is committed to delivering quality PCS products for this exciting new generation of mobile voice and data services. We at Nokia are very impressed with the quality of Pacific Bell Mobile Services’ technical, marketing, operations and sales teams, and we look forward to working together.”

“Nokia makes a wonderful PCS phone that will bring more choices to the increasingly diverse customers making the switch from cellular to PCS, or becoming wireless consumers for the very first time,” said Terrance Valeski, Pacific Bell Mobile Services Vice President of Marketing.

Pacific Bell Mobile Services is a California-based subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc., the nation’s second-largest telecommunications company and a leading company in the global telecom industry. Through its subsidiaries, SBC provides innovative communications including local and long-distance telephone, wireless, paging, Internet access, cable TV and messaging services, as well as telecommunications equipment and directory advertising and publishing.

Nokia is the title sponsor of the Nokia Sugar Bowl college football classic held annually in New Orleans.