AirTouch Cellular Venture Begins Service in Poland; Company Now Operates Eight GSM Networks Worldwide.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1996--AirTouch Communications (NYSE: ATI) today announced that its cellular venture in Poland has launched commercial service, only seven months after receiving a nationwide digital license.

The company, which operates under the name "Plus GSM," has started service in Warsaw and expects to expand to 27 major cities by the end of the year, covering nearly 40 percent of the country's 40 million people.

AirTouch, with a 19.25 percent share, is the lead technical partner in Plus GSM. AirTouch directed the design, construction and operation of the cellular network, which uses GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) digital technology.

Through its partnerships, AirTouch serves more GSM customers than any other company. AirTouch has played a key role building and operating GSM networks in eight countries: Belgium, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. These ventures serve over three million customers, up 100 percent in the past year.

"The launch of Plus GSM means Polish consumers will benefit from competition by experiencing a high quality, affordable cellular network," said Arun Sarin, president and chief executive officer of AirTouch International. "With its fast-growing economy and low cellular and landline penetration rates, Poland is a market just waiting to take off."

The country's cellular penetration rate is less than one percent and its landline penetration is only about 15 percent. There is one analog cellular operator and one other GSM operator.

By the end of the year, Plus GSM's cellular network is expected to grow to over 300 base stations and three switching centers. Nokia is the infrastructure vendor. The company will have four regional offices in Warsaw, Katowice, Gdansk and Poznan. To increase the value of its offering, Plus GSM provides a range of services, including voicemail and fax and data transmission. Three different rate plans are available.

The other major partners in Plus GSM include: Tele Danmark A/S, the Danish telecomunications company; Petrochemia Plock, the largest oil refinery in Poland; KGHM Polska Miedz, the leading Polish copper mining company; Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne, the national power distribution company, also known as Polish Power Grid Company; and two trading companies -- Stalexport and Weglokoks.

AirTouch Communications is a global wireless communications company, with interests in cellular, paging, personal communications services, and other operations in the United States, Belgium, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden, and an interest in the Globalstar satellite system. The company, based in San Francisco, serves over 6.7 million proportionate customers worldwide.

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

CONTACT: AirTouch Communications

Susan Rosenberg, 510/210-3910