France Telecom Integrates GPRS In Itineris GSM Network

Business Wire, April 20, 2000

Business Editors

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2000

France Telecom has announced the integration of the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) protocol in the Itineris GSM cellular network. GPRS will be rolled out in a first phase in the greater Lille area in northern France, as well as Noisy le Grand, a suburb east of Paris.

In early May GPRS will be then deployed in the southern half of Paris, followed in June by the business districts in the southern suburbs of Villejuif and Rungis.

Starting in June several thousand Itineris customers will be able to access the Internet using a laptop connected to a GPRS wireless handset. Data rates will be four to six times faster than the current GSM data rate (transmission speeds will reach 30 to 40 Kbps). A suite of Itineris multimedia services will also be introduced to take advantage of faster connection times to establish a link with the WAP server.

This decisive technological breakthrough will trigger a flurry of compelling, high-quality media-enriched services.

The introduction of GPRS enables high-speed packet data service on the existing GSM infrastructure. This optimizes GSM for Internet-based services thanks to an increase in throughput rates to about 100 Kbps. Once an Internet or intranet session has been opened, users have a permanent IP connection.

Generalized introduction of GPRS throughout the Itineris network is scheduled for the last quarter of 2000, when a host of new wireless data and multimedia services will be introduced. This rollout comes just a year after France Telecom Mobiles (FTM) successfully tested the world's first GPRS call on its GSM network.

The development of GPRS on Itineris has been driven through close partnership between France Telecom's wireless division and its suppliers Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola, Nortel and Sagem. By becoming the first wireless operator in France to introduce GPRS, France Telecom has further strengthened its position as a trailblazer in the French cellular market.

About France Telecom

France Telecom is one of the world's leading telecommunications carriers, with 1999 consolidated operating revenues of 27.2 billion euros and operations in more than 75 countries. France Telecom provides businesses, consumers and other carriers with a complete portfolio of solutions that spans local, long-distance and international telephony, data, wireless, multimedia, Internet, cable TV, broadcast and value-added services. As of December 31, 1999, France Telecom had 56 million customers, including 14 million mobile subscribers in France, and through controlled subsidiaries worldwide. France Telecom has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: FTE) and the Paris Bourse since 1997. (www.francetelecom.com)