Airspan-Based Wireless Payphone Network Successfully Deployed by Adesemi in Tanzania.

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 1999--

Deployment Brings Affordable Telecommunications Services

to Lower-Income Population of Tanzania

Airspan Communications Ltd., a market leader in fixed wireless telecommunications, and Adesemi Communications International, a telecommunications service provider for the developing world, today announced the successful deployment of 650 wireless payphones in Dar-es-Salaam, the capital of Tanzania.

Adesemi's 'adesephone(TM)' service, which is based on Airspan's AS4000 wireless local loop (WLL) platform, delivers affordable, comprehensive communications services in the commercial capital of Tanzania for the first time.

The adesephone(TM) network comprises wireless, card-operated public payphones, and a paging and voicemail network. Subscribers use pre-paid Adesemi phonecards to make local, long-distance and voicemail calls -- all at the cost of a local call. Paging and voicemail are provided at no extra cost. The adesephone(TM) package, which costs US $30 and has no monthly fees, targets Tanzanians earning between US $200 and US $1,000/month.

"The successful deployment of our adesephone(TM) service is due largely to the technology provided by Airspan, which allows us to install payphones quickly and easily anywhere in the city," said Monique Maddy, president and CEO of Adesemi. "This flexibility allows us to respond to the growing demand for our services, while the efficiency of the technology allows us to pass significant cost savings on to our subscribers."

"We are pleased that our technology is giving the people of Dar-es-Salaam the communications means necessary to improve their lives, and at the same time is strengthening the Tanzanian economy," said Nigel J. Terry, vice president of sales, marketing and services for Airspan. "Wireless local loop technology is ideal for bringing high-quality yet inexpensive communications services to those who need it the most, and we are working with service providers worldwide on similar deployments."

The payphones are linked via Airspan's AS4000 wireless local loop system into Adesemi's core network. Each payphone is equipped with an integrated subscriber terminal which communicates using a point-to-multipoint CDMA air interface with the Airspan base-station, located up to 25km away. The AS4000's rugged, tested design is capable of standing up to the rigors of Tanzania's hot tropical climate.

Adesemi currently processes some 15,000 calls a day from its payphone network. The company plans to extend its services across the country, to 1,000 payphones and 30,000 adesephones.

About Airspan Communications

Airspan is dedicated solely to fixed wireless telecommunications and has an established and proven track record with many major operators around the globe. The AS4000 product line provides customers with an optimum fixed wireless infrastructure delivering voice, data, ISDN and packet services. Airspan's CDMA technology provides service and range performance that is unequalled in the industry. The AS4000 is a robust and future-proof platform that caters to the escalating data needs of Airspan's clients and their customers, and is backed by comprehensive support services including training, installation, maintenance, commissioning and consulting.

Airspan's products provide the most comprehensive wireless alternative to a wired network infrastructure, with no compromise on available service or quality. Its infrastructure products and services are designed for both ETSI and ANSI markets with a focus on both circuit and packet/IP switched networks. More information on the company can be found at http://www.airspan.com.