Anywhere, Anyhow, Anytime - Introducing telstra.com; Telstra Launches WAP-Based Personalized Internet Content Service.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 1999--

Telstra today cemented its role as Australia's leading Internet service and content provider with the launch of telstra.com, an Internet service designed to take the company and its customers into the next "dot com" millennium.

Telstra also announced that it will enable its customers to use the new service via a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) mobile phone and via the Internet with their PCs.

telstra.com and Telstra's WAP service will offer customers for the first time in Australia a new world of Internet opportunities through integrated and personalized Internet content and applications.

telstra.com will provide users with an easy way of quickly extracting the most out of the Internet. This online information and communications center is not just another website, homepage, portal or product. It is a new tool that makes the vast resources of the online world more accessible, useful and relevant to everyday lives.

Dr. Ziggy Switkowski, Chief Executive Officer of Telstra, said that telstra.com is the start of a journey which will lead to individual users creating their own personalized space on the Internet.

"This is a threshold event as Telstra strives to provide the environment for Australians to go online anywhere, anyhow, anytime. Telstra continues its leadership role in enabling all Australians to connect to the future," Dr. Switkowski said.

"telstra.com demonstrates the depth of talent and expertise within the company. Building upon the rich legacy of our Big Pond service history, this project has taken just 90 days from concept to launch. We said that we needed to speed up our response to market opportunities and we have."

Launching telstra.com, Group Managing Director of Telstra's Convergent Business, Mr. Ted Pretty said: "telstra.com will be one of the most comprehensive information and application rich sites available to Australians, offering users all they could need from one personalized web site."

Mr. Pretty stressed that the information available at telstra.com today is only a fraction of the functionality and content planned. "This is just the beginning of telstra.com. We will progressively roll out new content and features as we better get to know our customers needs and requirements," he said.

Telstra Group Managing Director, OnAir, Mr. Dick Simpson said a significant feature of telstra.com is it can be accessed using the WAP mobile telephone. WAP means that over time customers will be able to utilize any appliance to access their world, whether it be their mobile phone, television, telephone or car.

"Customers will be able to use either their PC or WAP functional mobile phone to access telstra.com and check their email, the latest international news exclusively adapted from CNN, national news, weather, horoscopes, lotteries and sports scores, or do their banking."

Mr. Simpson said Telstra is a world leader in the development of new services. "telstra.com and WAP proves that we are serious about offering our customers leading edge, real life applications that will assist them to better utilize their time and be in control of their lives," he said.

Initially, Telstra will be offering its WAP access to telstra.com service on GSM. It will be deploying the service in the near future on its CDMA network.

Telstra customers will soon be able to select from a wide range of new, exciting handsets due to Telstra's commitment to the development of open standards. Telstra has chosen Phone.Com as its WAP technology provider. Phone.Com has been a pioneer in WAP and is one of the founding members of the WAP Forum.

Telstra is also a recognized international leader in the development of the WAP standard, holding a position on the WAP Forum.

Mr. Pretty said that as telstra.com evolves, it will become an indispensable communications and information tool.

"Like the mobile phone, people will wonder how they ever did without it. telstra.com consolidates what Telstra has already achieved and leverages what we do best - bringing people together."

Telstra Corporation Limited is the leading full service carrier in Australia and a major telecommunications player in the Asia Pacific region. Drawing on its 50-year involvement in the global telecommunications industry, Telstra provides expert advice on worldwide networking to international and multinational companies. Telstra owns and operates one of the most technologically advanced networks, offering end-to-end solutions ranging from broadband, IP, mobile and intelligent network services to voice and data network hubs, call centers, and advanced multimedia and e-commerce applications. A top tier global carrier with annual revenue of A$18.2 billion (US$11 billion), Telstra placed 62nd in Business Week's 1999 Global 1000 ranking of the world's most valuable companies by market value.

Telstra is building The Millennium Network for the Sydney Olympic Games, one of the - largest and most comprehensive voice, fax, data, and video networks the world will have ever seen for the transmission of an international event. Additional information on Telstra and its services is available by calling 1-877-Telstra or viewing Telstra on the World Wide Web at http://www.telstra.com.