E-Plus Selects Lucent Technologies to Provide Real-Time Billing System for Its Mobile Network in Germany

Business Wire, March 12, 2002

Business & High-Tech Editors

CeBIT 2002

HANOVER, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2002

E-Plus Deploys the Lucent MiLife(tm) SurePay(R) Solutions Suite

to Enhance its Existing Lucent-Supplied Intelligent Network

with Prepaid Billing Capabilities

Lucent Technologies (NYSE:LU) today announced that it has been selected by E-Plus, Germany's third largest wireless carrier, to provide a new real time billing system for its GSM network.

The Lucent MiLife(TM) SurePay(R) Solutions suite -- which is deployed on existing Lucent "Intelligent Network" (IN) infrastructure -- will enable E-Plus to offer converged payment and access services to its customers while offering both pre-paid and post-paid capabilities.

"We are convinced that with this billing system and the Lucent intelligent network at our disposal, E-Plus can offer customers a full, and varied range of personalized service options, " said Dr. Horst Lennertz, Chief Technology Officer from KPN Mobile.

E-Plus has selected the Lucent MiLife SurePay Solutions suite to enable real-time charging and accurate, timely billing facilities to support a broad array of customer services. Apart from voice and data services, the Lucent IN infrastructure -- which forms part of the E-Plus network -- offers SMS, IP portals as well as new wide-band multimedia services.

The MiLife SurePay system is also important for E-Plus' prepaid card facilities as the solution enables network operators to charge customers in real-time for services, as costs are incurred, and then debit them directly from the subscriber's prepaid card. The SurePay Solution suite continuously compares the accumulated charges in real time with the user's account balance. If the call-time credit is running out, a message is immediately sent to the customer to issue a warning in advance.

"E-Plus is driving its mobile network to ensure that it is even more user-friendly and customer focused and we are pleased to be a partner in achieving this," said Hans Huber, CEO Lucent Germany, Austria and Switzerland. "The Lucent SurePay Solution suite will ensure that E-Plus can achieve an effective, precise billing infrastructure to support its mobile network and complement the Lucent IN solutions and services already in place."

About E-Plus

With 7.5 million customers (in 01/2002) E-Plus is the third-largest mobile phone provider in Germany. E-Plus business is based on profitable growth and its activities are guided strictly by operating results. Therefore E-Plus focuses on business and private target groups with a high turnover.

E-Plus is one of the pioneers in mobile multimedia in Germany and with i-mode(TM) E-Plus offers access to mobile services at a quality previously unheard of in Europe. i-mode(TM) is fast and colourful and offers a comprehensive range of information, services and entertainment. Thanks to i-mode(TM) mail multimedia messaging with E-Plus has already become a reality.

The choice of E-Plus services will become even greater with the start of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System). E-Plus is one of the six companies that will roll out and run a modern UMTS network in Germany in the next few years. E-Plus' shareholders are KPN Mobile N.V. with 77.49 per cent and the BellSouth Corp. with 22.51 per cent. BellSouth is going to exchange its shares in E-Plus for ordinary shares in Royal KPN N.V. The transaction is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of 2002, after which E-Plus will be fully owned by the KPN group.

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers networks for the world's largest communications service providers. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent relies on its strengths in mobility, optical, data and voice networking technologies as well as software and services to develop next-generation networks. The company's systems, services and software are designed to help customers quickly deploy and better manage their networks and create new, revenue-generating services that help businesses and consumers. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at http://www.lucent.com.