Delta Telecom and Lucent Technologies to Enhance and Expand CDMA450 Network in St. Petersburg with CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Technology.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Network to Support Mobile Data Services at Speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per Second; Delta Telecom to Deploy Lucent's S-DHLR, a Next-Generation Subscriber Data Management Solution

Delta Telecom, a mobile operator in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, and Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced plans to expand Delta Telecom's Sky Link-branded CDMA450 network, and enhance the network to support CDMA2000(R) 1xEV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) technology. The EV-DO network will enable Delta Telecom to provide its Sky Link subscribers in St. Petersburg with new, high-speed mobile data services such as complete mobile office capabilities, high-quality video-on-demand and other high-bandwidth services at speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per second - more than 15 times faster than what's currently available.

The project, which the companies plan to complete by the end of 2005, includes increasing the capacity and coverage of the CDMA450 network in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. It also includes the deployment of the Bell Labs-developed Lucent Super-Distributed Home Location Register (S-DHLR), a key element of Lucent's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution from its Accelerate(TM) Next Generation Communications Solutions portfolio.

"We see that the market is ripe to adopt the new, innovative services that will be enabled by Lucent's solutions," said Gennady Golant, general director, Delta Telecom. "With Lucent's EV-DO solutions, we will be able to deliver complete mobile office capabilities and ensure high-speed access to the complete range of applications and information resources that our corporate customers currently access via fixed networks, while maintaining the same high levels of reliability and security."

As part of the project, Lucent will install additional Flexent(R) CDMA450 base stations and a new Mobile Switching Center (MSC), provide its S-DHLR and enhance existing Lucent CDMA450 base stations to support EV-DO technology. Lucent Worldwide Services will provide its expertise to ensure a smooth network deployment including installation support, network integration, and training and support services.

"Our work with Sky Link in St. Petersburg represents a technological breakthrough in terms of delivering a whole suite of new capabilities and services," said Dmitry Kamensky, general director, Lucent Technologies in Russia and CIS. "Our long-term partnership with Sky Link helps us to find the best solutions to help Sky Link meet the demands of its subscribers and succeed in this highly competitive mobile market."

The Lucent S-DHLR is an advanced customer information data server that enables the creation of a single subscriber profile for each customer and all of the services they use, in contrast to the traditional method of maintaining individual subscriber databases for each service. It also provides support for a wide variety of voice and data services on mobile, wireline and converged networks. Delta Telecom's migration from a traditional Home Location Register (HLR) to the new Lucent S-DHLR will reduce the complexity of managing subscriber data, make it easier to offer their subscribers customized service bundles and provide a consistent look and feel for subscribers' services even when roaming across multiple network types such as GSM, W-CDMA/UMTS, WiFi and wireline networks or onto another operator's network.

Lucent's Network Solutions Group is dedicated to helping wireline, mobile and converged service providers capture the market opportunities being created by the growing demand for blended lifestyle services. A global leader in the development of commercial 3G spread-spectrum solutions, Lucent's Network Solutions Group has deployed CDMA2000, CDMA450, and W-CDMA/UMTS networks with more than 35 customers on the continents of North and South America, Asia, Europe and in the Australia/New Zealand region. Lucent has deployed more than 120,000 spread-spectrum base stations for mobile operators worldwide, of which 70,000 are already supporting 3G services.

About the companies

ZAO Sky Link was established in June 2003 to consolidate regional NMT-450 operators and to implement a federal cellular communications network based on CDMA2000 technology for the 450MHz frequency band. CDMA450 networks under the Sky Link trademark are now deployed in 19 regions of the Russian Federation. The project licensing territory covers 65 regions with a population of 104 million that represents 72 percent of the total Russian population. ZAO Sky Link is a member of International 450 Association (IA-450) since 2003. For further information on the company, please visit: www.skylink.ru.

Delta Telecom (Sky Link operator in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region) was established in 1991 and the first cellular operator in Russia. At the end of 2002, Delta Telecom was the first to deploy advanced CDMA2000 1X technology in 450 MHz spectrum and offer its subscribers advanced digital voice and high-speed mobile data services such as Internet access and video applications at speeds of up to 153 kilobits per second with the highest level of security against unauthorized access. For more information on the company, please visit: http://www.spb.skylink.ru

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.

In Russia and CIS, Lucent Technologies offers its solutions to carriers, ISPs, and business customers. For more information on Lucent Technologies in Russia and CIS, visit its Russian Web site at http://www.lucent.ru.

CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association.