Data On the Move With France Telecom; Motorola's GPRS to Enable Internet Access, Emails, Electronic Commerce - All Accessible From a Mobile Phone.

SWINDON, U.K.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 1999--France Telecom has announced trials of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) on its Itineris GSM network in France. Motorola, Inc's Network Solutions Sector will set up a GPRS field trial in the Lille area in northern France this summer, where applications will be demonstrated to selected consumers.

The implementation of GPRS will bring tremendous benefits to GSM network operators such as France Telecom. It brings true Internet Protocol (IP) capability to the GSM network for the first time and enables connection to a wide range of public and private data networks, giving consumers access to a feature rich set of innovative new services from their mobile phones.

Mr. Benoit Eymard, Director, Operations and Development for France Telecom Mobiles, said: "The future of mobile communications lies in the convergence of the wireless networks we see today with the power of the Internet. The implementation of GPRS will enable us to deliver high speed access to a range of data services, moving one step closer to the wireless world."

Adrian Nemcek, Motorola senior vice president and general manager of Motorola's worldwide Customer Solutions Group, said: "The pace of change in the communications industry is unprecedented. It is through forward-thinking operators like France Telecom that these developments are rapidly adopted and available to consumers worldwide."

Motorola is one of France Telecom's largest suppliers of GSM network infrastructure. Worldwide, Motorola GSM systems can be found in France Telecom-partnered networks in Belgium, China, Egypt, India, Portugal, Romania and Russia. In France, Motorola has supplied GSM network infrastructure to the Itineris network since 1993. The Itineris network currently has over six million subscribers, with a year-on-year growth of 81 per cent.

Motorola is a global leader in advanced electronic systems and services. It liberates the power of technology by creating software-enhanced products that provide integrated customer solutions and Internet access via wireless and satellite communications, as well as computing, networking, and automotive electronics. Motorola also provides essential digital building blocks in the form of embedded semiconductors, controls and systems. Sales in 1998 were $29.4 billion.

Notes:

GPRS represents the first implementation of packet switching within GSM, which is essentially a circuit switched technology. Rather than sending a continuous stream of data over a permanent connection, packet switching only utilises the network when there is data to be sent.

GPRS is extremely efficient in its use of scarce spectrum resources and enables GSM operators to introduce a wide range of value added services for market differentiation. GPRS is ideal for speed of access to `bursty' type data applications such as e-mail or Internet services, and can also enable `virtual permanent connection' to data sources, allowing information to arrive rather than being sought. By upgrading their networks to include GPRS capability, existing GSM operators will have third generation capable networks, as UMTS will use packet switching technology.

Cellnet, the UK's biggest GSM mobile phone network, has also announced it had selected Motorola to deliver GPRS capability across its network. The $50 million deal includes the development and implementation of a core wireless data network for Cellnet enabling its subscribers to surf the Internet and access Internet Protocol (IP) based services from their mobile phones.

News of the Cellnet contract followed the announcement of the strategic global alliance between Motorola and Cisco Systems to develop and deliver a `new world' framework for Internet-based, wireless networks that will enable operators such as France Telecom to offer feature-rich services to their consumers.