Iusacell Wins Two Licenses in Mexican PCS Auction

PHILADELPHIA —

Iusacell announced today it won PCS (Personal Communications Services) licenses covering 10 million potential customers in two key northern regions of Mexico. The company bid US$58 million for the two 10 MHz (Megahertz) licenses to serve the fast-growing industrial regions - including Monterrey and Tijuana - that span the Mexican/U.S. border.

The licenses allow Iusacell, which already serves 70 percent of Mexico's 94 million people, to expand its brand of wireless services to 81 percent of the population. Winning these licenses allows us to fulfill our strategic goal of creating a national presence," said Iusacell President and General Director Fulvio V. del Valle.

With these additional licenses, and a landline teledensity level still below 10 phones per 100 people, Bell Atlantic's Latin American communications investment is also well positioned to take advantage of opportunities to compete in the local loop.

Iusacell is Mexico's only provider of cellular, wireless local loop, national paging, long distance, data, and satellite services.

Licenses for Regions 1 and 4 are for digital service in the 1.9 GHz (Gigahertz) portion of the radio spectrum, and are also contiguous with Bell Atlantic's United States PCS licenses in the Southwest. Bell Atlantic holds PCS licenses in the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest through its 50 percent interest in PrimeCo Personal Communications. Bell Atlantic took management control of Iusacell in February, 1997, and owns 42 percent of the company.

Bell Atlantic is one of the world's largest wireless communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 states and international investments spanning Latin America, Europe and the Pacific Rim. For information on our global operations, visit http://www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.

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