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Nextel Extends International Walkie-Talkie Service into Mexico; Announces Pricing Structure for International Direct Connect RESTON, Va. --(Business Wire)-- June 23, 2004 -- Push To Talk(SM) Leader Delivers on Promise to Expand Further in Latin American CountriesNextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL), in partnership with NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:NIHD), today announced the extension of International Direct Connect(SM) walkie-talkie service to Mexico, offering an affordable way for Nextel customers to communicate with other Nextel customers in one of the most populous countries in Latin America and the United States' second largest trading partner. The service, which initially launched on May 4th in Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Peru, provides under-a-second digital walkie-talkie connections between the United States, and these countries, and now with Mexico - wherever Nextel and NII Holdings has coverage. Customers also benefit from data services, including BlackBerry(R) and mobile e-mail, two-way messaging, and wireless Web access. They can also enjoy NextMail(TM), the first application available to utilize the power of Nextel Direct Connect(R) walkie-talkie technology to send a voice message in the form of an email to an individual or group located anywhere in the world. To celebrate the successful International Direct Connect launch in May and the expansion into Mexico, Nextel customers are invited to take advantage of complimentary International Direct Connect service until July 1st. International Direct Connect is designed to be cost effective and will be priced as low as 10 cents per minute. The pricing options that will launch July 1st will be as follows: -- Pay-as-you-go rate is $.20 per minute, or -- $5 per month and $.10 per minute, or -- Unlimited option is $20 per month for International Direct Connect and Nationwide Direct Connect walkie-talkie access "Since we introduced International Direct Connect service, our customers are finding it to be an incredibly powerful way to communicate instantly with colleagues and friends thousands of miles away," said Tom Kelly, executive vice president and COO, Nextel. "Since the initial launch in May, millions of International Direct Connect calls have been conducted, many of which were from customers in transportation, financial services and manufacturing, who conduct business across borders. We anticipate a significant volume of cross border communication from our customers in the U.S. to business partners, colleagues and friends in Mexico." In 1992, Nextel became the first cellular service provider in the United States to offer digital walkie-talkie service, and is the only provider to offer cross-border connectivity. For example, a Nextel subscriber working remotely in Mexico now can have a walkie-talkie conversation with a Nextel subscriber visiting an office in Argentina. Or a Nextel subscriber living in the United States can send and receive messages on their Nextel BlackBerry while visiting Mexico. More than 90 percent of Nextel customers have enabled Nationwide Direct Connect walkie-talkie service on their accounts. Nationwide Direct Connect, which has been available in all markets served by Nextel and Nextel Partners for almost a year, allows users to connect coast-to-coast in under one second. Nextel and NII Holdings operate on Motorola's iDEN (integrated Digital Enhanced Network) technology, which provides superior digital voice quality, security, reception and reliability. About Nextel Nextel Communications, a FORTUNE 200 company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country covering thousands of communities across the United States. Today 95 percent of FORTUNE 500(R) companies are Nextel customers. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc. currently serve 296 of the top 300 U.S. markets where approximately 252 million people live or work. About NII Holdings NII Holdings, Inc., a publicly held company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of mobile communications for business customers in Latin America. NII Holdings, Inc. has operations in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru, offering a fully integrated wireless communications tool with digital cellular service, text/numeric paging, wireless Internet access and Nextel Direct Connect(R), a digital two-way radio feature. NII Holdings, Inc. trades on the NASDAQ market under the symbol NIHD. Visit the Company's website at http://www.nii.com. About Nextel Partners Nextel Partners, Inc., (Nasdaq:NXTP), based in Kirkland, Wash., has the exclusive right to provide digital wireless communications services using the Nextel brand name in mid-sized and rural markets in 31 states where approximately 53 million people reside. Nextel Partners offers its customers the same fully integrated, digital wireless communications services available from Nextel Communications (Nextel), including Nationwide Direct Connect(SM), cellular voice, cellular wireless Internet access and short messaging, all in a single wireless phone. Nextel Partners customers can seamlessly access these services anywhere on Nextel's or Nextel Partners' all-digital wireless network, which currently covers 296 of the top 300 U.S. markets. To learn more about Nextel Partners, visit www.nextelpartners.com. |
