Lucent expands MetroPCS 3G network

July 12, 2005

Lucent Technologies and MetroPCS Communications announced a three-year agreement valued at up to $500 million to provide MetroPCS with 3G CDMA2000 equipment for new and existing markets across the United States. Lucent has been MetroPCS' exclusive wireless infrastructure vendor since 2001.

MetroPCS will deploy Lucent's mobile networking solutions to build out new markets in Dallas, Detroit and Tampa/Sarasota.

MetroPCS currently offers unlimited local and nationwide long distance calls for a flat monthly rate of $40 per month in the greater Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, Sacramento and Tampa metropolitan areas. The Lucent solutions will be deployed to increase capacity and coverage in these markets.

In addition to Lucent's 3G CDMA2000 1X solutions, the agreement includes CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology, which provides new mobile high-speed data services such as high-quality video clips of news, sports and entertainment events and access to applications stored behind corporate firewalls including e-mail and intranets to businesses and consumers at speeds of up to 2.4 megabits per second.

Lucent Worldwide Services will provide maintenance and professional services including network optimization, design and engineering.

"MetroPCS continues to add subscribers interested in high-quality service for one low monthly fee. This agreement provides MetroPCS with the evolution path we need to maximize voice capacity and simultaneously deliver robust mobile data applications to our subscribers," said Roger Linquist, president and chief executive officer of MetroPCS.

Lucent will supply its Flexent Packet Switch, which lays the foundation for MetroPCS to introduce VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services, and Flexent CDMA2000 base stations. These systems support MetroPCS's need for high-capacity and high-performance products that enable them to offer "all-you-can-eat" calling plans. Lucent also will provide MetroPCS with key elements of its Applications Solutions portfolio.

"This agreement further strengthens our relationship and enables MetroPCS to deliver new, 3G mobile voice and data services to its customers over both 3G CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO networks," said Steve Marino, vice president of sales for Lucent Technologies.