[December 19, 2005] Gustavo Cisneros, Chairman of the Cisneros Group Says Movida Communications ``Exceeded All Expectations'' in 2005 Tweet MIAMI --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 19, 2005 -- Gustavo Cisneros, Chairman of the Cisneros Group of Companies, today announced that Movida, the nation's first pay-as-you-go wireless communications service specifically targeting the more than 40 million Hispanics living in the United States, has exceeded all expectations for its launch in 2005 and expects continued growth in 2006. Mr. Cisneros said that Texas leads in overall Movida activations, with California second and Puerto Rico -- where Cisneros-owned Pueblo and Blockbuster are the anchor distribution partners -- is a close third. Movida - majority-owned by the Cisneros Group -- was launched at Wal-Mart stores in Phoenix and San Diego in mid-April and now serves Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and other cities throughout the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, the state of Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Movida will soon be expanding its services to states up the East Coast of the U.S. to New York City. Commenting on Movida's success in 2005 Mr. Cisneros said: "Movida has achieved tremendous success since its launch earlier this year. We believe that the enthusiastic reception for Movida reflects the enormous opportunity for growth by serving the needs of the fast-growing U.S.-Hispanic market. We also are convinced that this dynamic, young market is best-served by businesses like the Cisneros Group who have experience serving the U.S.-Hispanic market's special needs." Movida's plans for 2006 include new and better information technology geared towards U.S. Hispanics, more advanced cellular phones, and even broader distribution of its affordable Hispanic-focused communications services. Movida - majority-owned by Cisneros -- has teamed with Sprint (NYSE:FON) and Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) to begin providing wireless voice and data communications using the Sprint nationwide wireless network, with rate plans that cater to the needs of the U.S. Hispanic market. Through its arrangement with Wal-Mart, and other regional sales outlets, Movida is rolling out Movida's state of the art wireless phones in select U.S. market. About Movida Movida Communications, Inc. is a newly formed wireless service provider offering pay-as-you-go wireless voice and data communications services exclusively to the U.S. Hispanic population, using Sprint's all-digital, all-PCS nationwide wireless network. As the nation's first MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) targeted at Hispanics, Movida offers all standard custom calling features plus a suite of international voice and data services featuring culturally and geographically-focused content in Spanish. About the Cisneros Group of Companies The Cisneros Group of Companies - http://www.cisneros.com - is one of the largest privately held media, entertainment, telecommunications, technology, and consumer products organizations in the world. The Group owns, or holds interests in companies ranging from broadcast television networks and pay television services, to beverage businesses and supermarkets. Through its diverse businesses, the Cisneros Group of Companies delivers some of the top brands and the highest quality services to the 550 million Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking consumers in the Americas and Europe. The Group has recently expanded its activities from Ibero-America to countries worldwide. The Cisneros Group's holdings include majority and minority interests and may be held, directly or indirectly, through partnerships, joint ventures or alliances. Some of the Group's holdings include interests in: Venevision, the leading broadcast television channel in Venezuela; Venevision International, a Spanish-language entertainment company with specialization in TV programming; Univision Communications Inc. (NYSE:UVN), the number one provider of Spanish-language content to the U.S. Hispanic audience; Movida Communications Group Inc., the first pay-as-you-go wireless communications service specifically targeting Hispanics living in the U.S., Claxson Interactive Group Inc. (XSON), an integrated Ibero-American media and entertainment company; DIRECTV Latin America, a direct-to-home satellite TV provider with operations across the region; Cerveceria Regional, the second-largest brewery and beer distributor in Venezuela; and Pueblo, one of the leading supermarket chains in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, visit http://www.cisneros.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]