UPS Introduces On-The-Spot Tracking $100 Million Invested To Speed Service.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 1999--

UPS today unveiled the world's fastest package tracking system, deploying the first device in the industry to both collect and send delivery information at virtually the same time. Now when a package is delivered, the tracking data will be widely available before the driver has even left the scene.

The device, which houses an internal radio, also allows drivers to receive immediate notice of customer requests for on-demand services such as urgent pickups.

These enhancements are just two of those included in the third generation Delivery Information Acquisition Device, or DIAD III. An innovative blend of engineering and telecommunications technologies, the new DIAD is the only device of its kind to transmit real-time delivery information independent of the delivery vehicle. Its predecessor required the communications cradle inside the vehicle to transmit tracking information and to receive dispatches.

Developed at a cost of $100 million, DIAD III begins its rollout today in 13 metropolitan areas across the country. Over the next two years, 50,000 will be deployed in the United States and internationally.

DIAD III is equipped with an internal packet data radio that transmits delivery information as soon as it is entered. The device also allows drivers to maintain immediate two-way contact with dispatchers so customer pickup requests can be quickly forwarded through text messages -- a boon to drivers who spend most of their day in office buildings or shopping malls.

DIAD III also features triple telecommunications redundancy to ensure real-time tracking in every environment. In addition to the internal radio, cellular communications can upload information from the delivery vehicle, and an internal modem with automatic dialer enables DIAD III to transmit data over a normal telephone.

"Real-time package tracking is the single most important information service we offer to our customers, accounting for 800,000 requests daily on the World Wide Web alone," said Dudley Land, UPS vice president of information services. "DIAD III will ensure that UPS provides the most current package delivery information available anywhere."

DIAD III is the second DIAD UPS has created with Motorola, which is manufacturing the device. American Mobile's ARDIS Network, which is providing the DIAD's on-the-spot communications, first powered driver communications 10 years ago for the UPS On Call Air Pickup (SM) service.

"DIAD III is an excellent example of how existing technologies can be creatively combined by partners that share the same goals for precision and quality," Land said. "DIAD III continues the UPS strategy to revitalize this familiar electronic clipboard every five years to provide better customer service and to improve operations."

Designed to easily accommodate new features and components, DIAD III is powered with a faster processor (Motorola's 32-bit, 48 MHz, MPC823 PowerPC RISC processor), and has four times more memory (6.5 megabytes). It features a glow-in-the-dark keyboard with programmable "soft keys" and icons that simplify global deployment.

DIAD III is rolling out today in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Fullerton, California, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sarasota, Florida and Woodbridge, New Jersey. Additional areas will be added weekly.

American Mobile (www.AmMobile.com) (NASDAQ:SKYC) owns and operates an integrated terrestrial/satellite network and provides a wide range of mobile communication services, including digital voice dispatch, data communications, dual-mode mobile messaging, position reporting services, and satellite telephone to the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and hundreds of miles of U.S. coastal waters. American Mobile services are used in the transportation, field service, maritime, and telemetry markets, and with eLink(SM), in the two-way wireless messaging market.

Motorola is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1998 were $29.4 billion. For more information about Motorola, visit the Web site at www.motorola.com.

United Parcel Service is the world's largest express carrier and package delivery company, offering an unmatched array of service options to more than 200 countries and territories. Based in Atlanta, UPS employs more than 326,800 people worldwide, delivers more than 3 billion packages and documents yearly, and earned revenues of $24.8 billion in 1998. UPS has invested more than $10 billion in its extensive technology infrastructure, maintains one of the world's largest databases, and has won two Computerworld Smithsonian awards for technology leadership and innovation. For more information, visit the UPS web site at www.ups.com.