AirTouch Cellular Venture Begins Service in India; Company is First Cellular Operator in Madhya Pradesh.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 1997--AirTouch Communications (NYSE:ATI) today announced that its cellular venture in Madhya Pradesh, one of the most populous states in India, has launched service in the major cities of Indore and Bhopal.

The company, operating under the name RPG Cellcom Ltd. (RPG), is the first cellular operator to launch service in the state of Madhya Pradesh, which has 73 million people. Indore is the commercial center of the region and has a population of more than one million. Bhopal, the state capital, also has more than one million people. Service is expected to begin in several other district capitals soon, and will be extended to most of the commercial centers throughout the state over the next 18 months.

AirTouch owns 49 percent of RPG and is the lead technical partner, with responsibility for the design, construction and operation of the cellular network, which uses GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) digital technology. There is one other company licensed to provide cellular service in Madhya Pradesh.

"By offering wireless service in India, we can significantly change the way people live and work," said Louis Golm, president of AirTouch International. "Today, less than one percent of India's population has any kind of telephone service, and delays in initiating landline service can last for years. In contrast, our cellular venture can offer new customers service in less than a day. We're excited about helping to meet the increasing demand for telecommunications and contributing to India's economic growth."

In addition to local cellular service, RPG is providing wireless long-distance within Madhya Pradesh, a region of about 440,000 square kilometers. Additional services will be offered including fax, data, short messaging services and domestic and international roaming.

AirTouch owns 20 percent of a second cellular company in India, RPG Cellular Services, which was among the country's first cellular operators when it launched service in Madras in September 1995.

AirTouch's partner in Madhya Pradesh and Madras is RPG Enterprises, one of the five largest business houses in India. The company is involved in information technologies and communications, power generation and distribution, and rubber and allied products.

AirTouch's international cellular expansion began in developed countries such as Germany, Japan and Sweden, and more recently has moved into emerging markets, including India, Poland and Romania. Since its first international cellular venture started service in Germany in 1992, AirTouch has experienced explosive global growth. Outside the U.S., its international partnerships in total cover more than 500 million people and serve 7.4 million customers. In 1996, AirTouch added 846,000 proportionate international cellular customers, reaching over 1.7 million proportionate customers, up 118 percent over year-end 1995. (Because AirTouch participates in a large number of joint ventures, the company uses proportionate accounting to present its share of customers in its operations.)

AirTouch Communications is a global wireless communications company, with interests in cellular, paging, and personal communications services in the United States, Belgium, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, Spain and Sweden, as well an interest in the Globalstar satellite system. The company, based in San Francisco, serves over 8 million proportionate customers worldwide. -0-

Note to Editors: For a fax copy of this or other AirTouch press releases, please call 800/344-7531 or visit the AirTouch web site at www.airtouch.com .

CONTACT: AirTouch Communications

Susan Rosenberg, 415/658-2209