Powertel Introduces E-Mail for Wireless Handsets

Business Wire, Nov 22, 1999

WEST POINT, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 22, 1999--

Powertel, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM: PTEL), a leading wireless Personal Communications Service (PCS) provider serving the southeastern United States, is introducing a form of short e-mails that can be transmitted directly to wireless handsets.

"With Mobile e-mail, the customer can receive e-mails directly or be notified of e-mails received on a home or office computer," said Mike Bashaw, vice president of marketing for Powertel. "This is one more enhancement that is moving wireless communications into the mainstream of the way we communicate with each other. Each Mobile e-mail customer will have a Powertel e-mail address."

Each e-mail or notification can be up to 160 characters; longer messages are sent in a series of up to five text transmissions with a maximum of 640 characters. Messages may be filtered so just the most important ones are received. The customer is alerted by the handset each time a message is received.

The fee for Mobile e-mail is $5 per month. Customers signing up before January 1, 2000, will receive one month of service free.

Bashaw said Mobile e-mail is a receive-only service, but customers can activate an additional service to send short text messages to other Powertel/GSM phones or anyone in the world with an e-mail address. GSM technology also allows the customer to use a wireless handset connected to a portable PC Palmtop handheld device, access the Internet or send, receive, store and redirect faxes.

Powertel, Inc. provides 100 percent digital PCS wireless services in its licensed service area in 12 states in the Southeast - the largest contiguous PCS network in the southeastern United States. Through its affiliation with other GSM carriers, Powertel's coverage extends across the United States to most major cities and into much of Canada to a population of more than 176 million people. Powertel's core markets are in 34 southeastern metropolitan areas and along the major highway corridors that connect them. Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Jackson, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Macon, Memphis, Nashville and Savannah are among the municipalities in Powertel's licensed service area, which has a population of more than 24 million people. Powertel offers consumers and businesses a variety of compact handsets from Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola and Mitsubishi. For more information on Powertel and its products and services, visit the company on its web site at: http://www.powertel.com

Powertel is a member of The GSM Alliance, L.L.C., a consortium of U.S. and Canadian digital wireless PCS carriers, which helps provide seamless wireless communications for its customers, whether in North America in more than 4,000 U.S. and Canadian cities and towns, or abroad. Using Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications, GSM companies provide superior voice clarity, unparalleled security and leading-edge wireless voice, data and fax features for customers. In North America, more than 4.8 million customers are using GSM service in 46 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and four Canadian Provinces, including eight of the top 10 and 20 of the top 25 wireless markets. For more information on the GSM Alliance, visit its web site: www.gsm-pcs.org.