Telefonica With Telecom Awarded One of the PCS Bands

Licenses at Federal Capital and the Great Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina (ots-PRNewswire) - The Temporary JointVenture (UTE) comprised of Unifon (belonging to the GrupoTelefonica) and Personal (belonging to Telecom) was awarded the BBand corresponding to the PCS tender for Federal Capital and theGreat Buenos Aires (an area called AMBA), for which 350 milliondollars shall be paid. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990617/HSTH012For assistance: PR Newswire Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467) Luis Malvido and Marcelo De Carli, CEOs of Unifon andPersonal, respectively, were the individuals in charge of makingthe offer. The PCS 40 Mhz two band tender at AMBA took place yesterday atthe "Eva Peron" room of the Secretariat of Communications (SECOM)where four bidders out of the seven prequalified Joint Venturessubmitted their offers. In several rounds two of them werewithdrawn because they did not improve their former offers. Unifon-Personal due to the fact that it made the best offer,was entitled to choose the band. The two 40 Mhz bands in questionwere "A" and "B" and it chose "B." In addition, in the next days, Miniphone shall have access toPCS 20 Mhz at AMBA, for which it shall pay 50% of the averageprice obtained at the 40 Mhz license auction, amounting to 162.75million dollars, during a term of 3 years. Next Tuesday June 22, the tender of "A" and "B" bands (also 40Mhz each) for the Areas I and III of the country shall takeplace. In this tender, Telefonica shall appear again for a license of40 Mhz at Area 1 (Northern one). As it is at present the licenseeof the cellular service, it shall be able to exercise its rightto purchase on a direct basis a 20 Mhz band, but withoutparticipating in the tender. Telefonica Comunicaciones Personales - TCP TCP is the operator of Grupo Telefonica de Argentina providingcellular phone services in ten provinces of the southern area ofthe country, by using its trademark Unifon. From its beginning, in March 1996, it invested more than 400million dollars, having at present 290,000 customers and aservice penetration of 4 cellular phones per 100 inhabitants.ots Original Text Service: Telefonica Communicaciones PersonalesInternet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Norma Barbieri orMaximiliano Zorzi, both of Comunicaciones Corporativas of GrupoTelefonica +54-11-4-819-4376, +54-11-4-819-4377, or +54-11-4-819-4378, fax, +54-11-4-819-4393, or Prensa@unifon.com.arPhoto: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990617/HSTH012 Forassistance: PR Newswire Photo Desk, (USA) 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467 Web site: http://www.unifon.com.ar

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