Broadwave submits Swedish UMTS license application

Broadwave submits Swedish UMTS license application Broadwave Communications is a Joint Venture consisting of five international partners who have accepted the challenge to develop a third generation open mobile network in Sweden. The Swedish broadband operator Tele1 Europe, the US mobile operator Western Wireless International Corp, the Finnish GSM/UMTS mobile group 2G/3P, the Swedish fixed line operator Rix Telecom and the Norwegian mobile Service Provider You Communication jointly own Broadwave. Broadwave intends to invest 14,7 billion SEK over a 10-year period, which will be financed through equity, supplier credit and loans. Together the five partners have extensive expertise and the necessary financial strength to guarantee a rapid development for the intelligent UMTS infrastructure. The consortium is aiming to begin construction of the network next year and access has already been secured to a large number of prepared locations where the technical equipment can be sited. In addition to the five owners, Broadwave have signed strategic partner alliances that will add substantial value to the consortium. Content and data based services in addition to voice will be the key drivers to success. Within Broadwave's framework, mobile services and solutions will be offered through a variety of brands, distribution channels and content providers, which are designed for general and designated feature terminals targeting the entire consumer (business and residential) market. Broadwave has applied in addition to UMTS for a GSM/GPRS license. The intention is to launch GSM services as early as April 2001 and to lead the development of cutting-edge services into the UMTS technology. - The traditional way of looking at a mobile network is to have complete vertical integration - from network to retail distribution channels. Broadwave intends to change this paradigm by offering a service framework, not only to the owners of Broadwave, but also to Virtual Network Operators and Service Providers to sustain the open network philosophy, says Christer Palmgren Director of Mobile Services at Tele1 Europe. The consortium has extensive experience as mobile network operator and provider of data and telecommunication services, a large customer base in Sweden and the Nordics with the emphasis on the consumer (business and residential) market and a Pan-Nordic broadband network. This is expected to meet the investors' requirements as well as the license criteria of the relevant authorities. - Together we have substantial and complementary experience and expertise in developing and operating mobile, fixed, data and Internet networks. This project continues our investment programme in Europe and our expansion in the Nordic market following our highly-successful entry into Iceland in 1998, states Brad Horwitz President of Western Wireless International. - The members of the consortium will invest in the UMTS network jointly. We will be working together on services and product development. We are currently in the process of building mobile networks in Finland, which will provide invaluable experience for the Swedish roll-out. This is the first step to fulfilling our Pan-Nordic strategy, says Seppo Hänninen, Managing Director of Suomen 2G. - Our consortium consists of market players with a wide variety of leading-edge commercial and technical strengths, and this will provide us with an excellent basis from which to achieve success. I'm convinced that we will shortly be able to offer mobile services to our Customers, says Fredrik Bonde, Managing Director of Rix Telecom. - UMTS opens up a whole new market for integrated and advanced voice and content services, where opportunities are limitless. We are confident of bringing our knowledge and products from Norway to the Swedish market, explains Mikal Rohde, Managing Director of You Communication. Breakdown of share ownership Tele1 Europe and Western Wireless own the majority in the consortium with equal shares. Further information, please contact: Tele1 Europe Holding AB Christer Palmgren, Director Mobile Services Phone: +46 8 5631 0092 E-mail: christer.palmgren@tele1europe.se Wester Wireless International Corporation Scott Alderman, Vice President Phone: +1 425 586 8161 E-mail: scott.alderman@wwireless.com 2G/3P Group Seppo Hänninen, Managing Director, Suomen 2G Oy Phone: +358 9 7744 4511 E-mail: seppo.hanninen@kolmegee.fi Rix Telecom AB Fredrik Bonde, Managing Director Phone: +46 706 561738 E-mail: fredrik.bonde@rixtelecom.se You Communication AS Mikal Rohde, Managing Director Phone: +47 4085 5555 E-mail: mikal.rohde@telepluss.no About Tele1 Europe (NASDAQ: TEUR, Stockholm Stock Exchange: TEUR) Tele1 Europe is a fast-growing data and telecommunications operator with operations in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The group's business concept is to offer broadband solutions for data, telephony and the Internet to large and medium-sized business and organisations in the Nordic countries. Tele1 Europe is currently the only Nordic data and telecommunications operator investing in local access networks with broadband capacity. This construction is taking place in the nine largest cities in the Nordic countries. The access networks, which are linked together with a long-distance network, will be Europe's fastest "motorway" for data and Internet traffic with an initial capacity for customers of up to one gigabyte. http://www.tele1europe.com About Western Wireless International Corporation (NASDAQ: WWCA) Western Wireless International Corporation ("WWI") a subsidiary of Western Wireless Corporation (WWC). WWC is a leading provider of wireless services in the United States, serving 930,500 customers in 19 states as of June 30, 2000. It is a publicly traded company with a market capitalization of $4.0 billion. WWC's markets cover over 25 percent of the U.S. landmass and an aggregate population of around 9 million. WWC's management team has had one of the most successful track records in the industry over the last 18 years, beginning with the founding of McCaw Cellular (now AT&T Wireless); WWC has built one of the fastest growing and best performing cellular businesses in the United States and previously led the introduction and expansion of GSM technology in the United States. In February 1999, WWC spun-off its GSM operations into a separate company, VoiceStream Wireless. WWI is a leading provider of wireless communications services into international markets. Since 1996, WWI has built and launched wireless networks in Iceland, Latvia, Georgia, Croatia, Ghana and Haiti and is currently constructing nationwide cellular networks in Ireland, Cõte d´Ivoire and Bolivia. In total these systems are licensed to provide wireless services to over 65 million people. WWC´s website address is www.wireless.com About 2G/3P group Suomen 2G Oy (2G) is the third countrywide GSM operator in Finland. 2G will launch a nation-wide GPRS network in January 2001. Suomen 3P Oy (3P) is a new service provider currently setting up the service portfolio based on 2,5G technology. 36 Finnish local phone companies, 20 of which run regional GSM 1800 networks, own both 2G and 3P. Besides mobile communication operations, the 3P/2G group provides services in most fields of telecommunications and data communications. The 2G/3P group is also the major partner (74 % ownership) in one of the four UMTS licence holders in Finland (Finnish 3 G Ltd.). www.suomen2g.fi About Rix Telecom AB (Göteborg List: RIXT) Rix Telecom is a data and telecommunications operator working on the fixed network, with the emphasis on serving private customers. In the space of a short time, a combination of marketing measures has placed Rix Telecom amongst the largest Swedish telecommunication companies in terms of the number of customers administered. Rix Telecom has its head offices in Göteborg, Sweden. www.rixtelecom.se About You Communication You Communication are a mobile service provider defining itself as a knowledge and marketing organisation. The company is offering mobile communication services and intelligent network solutions to both consumers and the business community. You Communication are developing its service portfolio based on extensive partnering and focused operations. You's website address is www.communicateyou.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/09/01/20000901BIT00040/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/09/01/20000901BIT00040/bit0002.pdf