PC Connection Markets Next Generation of Communicators; Company is first to sell BlackBerry 5810 through direct VoiceStream/T-Mobile relationship

Business Wire, August 8, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MERRIMACK, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 8, 2002

PC Connection, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCCC), a leading direct marketer of information technology (IT) products and solutions, is now offering the latest generation of handheld communication devices with comprehensive service plans by VoiceStream Wireless/T-Mobile.

The new devices, including the BlackBerry 5810(TM) handheld, allow users to make voice phone calls, send and receive e-mail, surf the Web, check stock quotes, and more, all from a single compact unit. The devices represent long awaited "convergence" of cell phone and PDA functionality into one device.

PC Connection is the first nationwide IT solutions provider dealing directly with VoiceStream to market comprehensive product-and-service packages for the new breed of handheld communication devices. The offerings are targeted for business users ready to upgrade from analog or first generation digital communication or paging systems.

The VoiceStream Wireless/T-Mobile service plan, now available in partnership with PC Connection, will allow users access from a growing global cellular communications network that already covers more than 8,000 cities and 90 nations.

"Industry analysts forecast that almost half of all business wireless data users will purchase centrally-managed service for their devices," said Robert Wilkins, Executive Vice President and head of PC Connection's Product Management group. "We recognize the value and opportunity in these trends and are meeting customer needs in real time."

In addition to the advanced BlackBerry 5810(TM) handheld, PC Connection carries all leading wireless equipment and accessories, including Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Handspring Treo and Novatel. "But we expect the BlackBerry to be the flagship product in this category because it offers a total integration of hardware, software and service with a very rich feature set," Wilkins said.

Using a team of seasoned wireless experts, PC Connection advises customers on the best products and the right service plans to meet wireless needs and budgets. The team also arranges for asset tagging devices, launching service activation, and shipping the equipment overnight to customers.

"The number of business wireless data users is expected to explode from around 7 million now to nearly 40 million in three years," Wilkins said. "The demands on mobile business users for rapid response to voice mail and e-mail are also increasing. We expect archaic technologies like paging to be replaced with wireless instant messaging in just a few years. In addition, encryption technology will make wireless direct-access to the Web and to corporate networks both secure and commonplace."

Wilkins concluded, "PC Connection will continue to innovate in order to help our customers take advantage of these new technologies and seamlessly integrate them into their workplace."

About PC Connection, Inc.

PC Connection, Inc., a Fortune 1000 company, operates through three sales subsidiaries, PC Connection Sales Corporation of Merrimack, NH, GovConnection, Inc. of Rockville, MD and MoreDirect, Inc. of Boca Raton, FL. PC Connection Sales Corporation is a rapid-response provider of information technology (IT) products and solutions offering more than 100,000 brand-name products to businesses through its staff of technically trained outbound sales account managers and catalog telesales representatives, its comprehensive Web sites at www.pcconnection.com and www.macconnection.com, and its catalogs PC Connection (1-800-800-5555) and MacConnection (1-800-800-2222). GovConnection, Inc. is a rapid-response provider of IT products and solutions, offering more than 100,000 brand-name products to federal, state and local government agencies and educational institutions (1-800-800-0019). MoreDirect, Inc. provides corporate technology buyers with a comprehensive web-based e-procurement solution and in-depth IT supply-chain expertise, serving as a one-stop source by aggregating more than 350,000 products from the inventories of leading IT wholesale distributors and manufacturers. All three subsidiaries can deliver custom-configured computer systems overnight.