Verizon Wireless Donates Satellite Phones and Service to Sacramento County Sheriff Department for Search and Rescue Operations

Business Wire, May 1, 2000

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2000

Satellite Phones and Service Available to Consumers Statewide

Verizon Wireless today announced a donation of Globalstar satellite phones and a year's worth of free satellite and cellular airtime to the Sacramento Sheriff Department.

The tri-mode phones, which offer satellite as well as digital and analog cellular service, will provide emergency communications assistance for the department's Search and Rescue team, supplementing existing two-way radio communication in remote locations during mutual aid operations.

Verizon Wireless also announced that Globalstar satellite service and satellite phones are available to consumers in California at select Verizon Wireless retail stores.

The Sacramento Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue team consists of 50 members, including foot searchers, trackers, mounted (equestrian) units and K-9 units. The satellite phones and service will be used by mounted enforcement officers in areas where radios are unreliable as well as in high-risk searches where clear, timely communication is vital.

"The satellite phones and airtime donated by Verizon Wireless and Globalstar will be a valuable communications tool, allowing us to have phone service in areas that are not served by traditional landline and cellular networks," said Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas.

"Our Search and Rescue teams will have a reliable method of communicating directly with local hospitals that do not use two-way radio, enabling them to provide better, faster service to injured parties during emergency situations."

Four California County Sheriff Departments have received the donated phones and airtime from Verizon Wireless and Globalstar, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Sacramento Counties. Valued at more than $14,000, the donation was announced today at a press conference hosted by the Orange County Sheriff Department in Santa Ana, Calif.

"The greatest application of wireless technology is giving people the ability to call for help," said Verizon Wireless Southwest Area President Brian Shay. "By providing satellite phone service to the Sacramento County Sheriff Department Search and Rescue team, we are enhancing their communications capabilities during emergencies such as forest fires, where two-way radio and traditional wireless service may be unavailable."

Globalstar satellite service was launched in the United States on Feb. 28, 2000. The service expands the wireless coverage area by using Qualcomm Globalstar GSP-1600 tri-mode phones that can be switched from digital cellular and analog service to the Globalstar satellite network when users move between coverage areas. Communication is provided by a system of 48 satellites that works as a supplement to ground-based analog and digital cellular networks.

The satellite phones used for the Globalstar service offer more than 3.5 hours of talk time and/or nine hours of standby time in satellite mode, or 4.5 hours of talk time and/or 72 hours of standby time in digital cellular mode. The satellite phones are now available for a suggested retail price of $1,499.99 in Verizon Wireless retail stores in Sacramento, Stockton, Redding, Chico, Santa Monica, Irvine, Corona, Costa Verde and the City of Industry, Calif; Reno, Nev.

Service plans begin at $29.99 per month, plus $1.69 per minute, or $99.99 per month with 50 bundled minutes included. In addition, new customers who activate Globalstar service between April 1 and May 31, 2000, will receive 30 percent off access and domestic airtime through July 15, 2000.

About Globalstar USA

Globalstar USA (GUSA), an indirect Vodafone AirTouch Plc. subsidiary, has exclusive rights to sell Globalstar satellite service in the United States and is responsible for building the satellite gateways, interconnecting with the public phone network, development and management of billing and customer care systems, sales, product distribution and marketing. For more information visit Globalstar USA's Web site at www.globalstarusa.com.

About Globalstar

Globalstar L.P., led by founding partner Loral Space & Communications, is a partnership of the world's leading telecommunications service providers and equipment manufacturers, including Qualcomm Incorporated, Alcatel, Alenia, China Telecom (HK), DACOM, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, Elsacom (a Finmeccanica company), France Telecom, Hyundai, Space Systems/Loral and Vodafone AirTouch Plc. For more information, visit Globalstar's Web site at www.globalstar.com. Globalstar service is already available in 37 countries, and is planning to introduce service in more than 80 countries by the end of the year.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the United States with more than 16 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE:BEL) and Vodafone AirTouch Plc (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. Verizon Wireless will be further strengthened by the addition of the wireless assets of GTE Corp. (NYSE:GTE) when it completes its merger with Bell Atlantic. When the merger is complete, the new company will have a footprint covering more than 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets.