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

Business Wire, May 2, 2000

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LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2000

Satellite Phones and Service Available to Consumers Statewide

Verizon Wireless today announced the donation of Globalstar wireless phones and a year's worth of free satellite and cellular airtime to the Los Angeles County 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, such as the Angeles National Forest.

Verizon Wireless also announced that Globalstar satellite service is available to consumers in California, with satellite phones available at select Verizon retail stores.

More than 50 searches were conducted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Team in 1999, and an even higher number of missions is expected this year.

"One of our key Search and Rescue areas, the San Dimas mountain area, is currently not served by cellular service, making it virtually impossible to communicate during emergency situations," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. "Fortunately, our research has shown that satellite phones, like the Globalstar phones being donated by Verizon Wireless, have always been successful in the mountains, allowing our 28-member San Dimas Search and Rescue team to request additional resources and update concerned families and other departments."

"Many people think of Los Angeles County as one giant city, but it actually encompasses vast amounts of forests and mountains, where Search and Rescue teams can experience difficulty in establishing communications," said Verizon Wireless Southwest Area President Brian Shay. "The satellite phones and service will allow the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Search and Rescue team to communicate with hospitals, paramedics, fire departments and other team members during a crisis without tying up radio channels used by field personnel."

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.

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 Santa Monica, Irvine, Corona, City of Industry, Costa Verde, Sacramento, Stockton, Redding, Chico and Reno.

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 U.S. with over 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 from Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging.