Powertel Offers New Services for Two Phone Numbers on One Wireless Handset

Business Wire, Sept 2, 1999

WEST POINT, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 2, 1999--

Powertel, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM: PTEL), a leading wireless Personal Communications Service (PCS) provider serving the southeastern United States, is introducing services for customers which allow the use of two telephone numbers on one wireless handset.

The first, called Appear Local(SM), allows a customer to have two local phone numbers in two different area codes - one a hometown number and the other a number in another Powertel service area. "This will appeal to business users who want a local presence in two markets, even though they are in different area codes," explained Mike Bashaw, vice president of marketing and product development for Powertel. "Likewise, Appear Local(SM) is great for families with relatives - especially college students - in another Powertel service area." The calling party incurs no long distance charges and both numbers draw from the customer's primary rate plan. The cost for Appear Local(SM) is $4 per month.

The second new service, called Call Tracker(SM), gives the customer two numbers that will be separated call-by-call on the customer's billing statement and is designed to allow a customer to easily separate his or her business calls from personal calls. "The itemized bill listing for each number simplifies business-call record keeping," Bashaw said. "Also, a distinctive ring or separate display indicator for each number makes it easy to know when a call is for business purposes." Both numbers draw from the customer's primary rate plan. The cost for Call Tracker(SM) is $6 per month.

Appear Local(SM) and Call Tracker(SM) come with standard Powertel service features, including caller identification, voice mail, call waiting, call forwarding, handset phonebook and the first incoming call minute free.

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 nearly 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 4,200,000 customers are using GSM service in 46 U.S. States 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.