MTN'S FIRST FORAY INTO EUROPE

PRESS RELEASE

MTN'S FIRST FORAY INTO EUROPE WITH ITS HOME-GROWN TECHNOLOGY
MOBILE INTERNET TO THE MASS MARKET

05 OCTOBER 2000 - SOUTH AFRICAN CELLULAR OPERATOR MTN, OPERATING THROUGH A
50:50 ALLIANCE PARTNERSHIP WITH ALIASNET (AN ITALY-BASED SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR),
HAS TAKEN ITS FIRST STEP INTO THE GLOBAL E-BUSINESS MARKET. THE JOINT VENTURE
OPERATION HAS SIGNED A MULTIMILLION RAND LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH ITALIAN
CELLULAR OPERATOR WIND IN TERMS OF WHICH MTN'S PROPRIETARY MOBILE INTERNET
TECHNOLOGIES HAVE NOW FORMALLY BEEN INTRODUCED IN EUROPE.

THE MOVE HAS BEEN FACILITATED BY MOBILE E @ MTN, A SPECIALIST BUSINESS UNIT
DEDICATED TO IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES ARISING FROM THE INEVITABLE CONVERGENCE
OF MOBILE, DIGITAL AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES. ACCORDING TO MOBILE E @ MTN,
CHIEF OF E, SAM MICHEL, THE ALLIANCE FORMED WITH ALIASNET IS DIRECTED INITIALLY
AT LAUNCHING MTN'S PROPRIETARY REMOTE INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE ("RIVR")
TECHNOLOGY TO THE ITALIAN MARKET - OUR FIRST FORAY INTO EUROPE.

DESCRIBING THE PATENTED RIVR AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN WIRELESS AND THE INTERNET,
MICHEL SAYS, "RIVR HAS THE ABILITY TO DEPLOY MOBILE INTERNET TO THE MASS
MARKET; AND ALLOWS CORPORATES TO FETCH SPECIFIC INFORMATION OFF THEIR OWN
DATABASES. IT DOES SO BY LEVERAGING THE EXISTING TELECOMMUNICATIONS

INFRASTRUCTURE. WITH RIVR, THE TECHNOLOGY IS NOT LIMITED TO WAP HANDSETS BUT
CAN BE USED AND DEPLOYED ACROSS MOST EXISTING CELLPHONES CURRENTLY IN THE
MARKET.

AS MICHEL POINTS OUT, THERE ARE NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES IN RIVR'S MOBILE INTERNET
INITIATIVE. HE LISTS THESE AS ZERO INFRASTRUCTURE, ZERO LEARNING, AND ZERO DATA
MIGRATION. AND FROM A CONSUMER POINT OF VIEW, ACCESSING INTERNET-BASED
INFORMATION FROM A CELLPHONE USING RIVR IS IDENTICAL TO MAKING A VOICE OR DATA
CALL - IT'S EASY AND THERE'S NOTHING NEW TO LEARN. "IT'S MUCH THE SAME AS THE
MYCALL SERVICE INTRODUCED BY MTN SOUTH AFRICA AND SUNDAY TIMES IN JULY THIS
YEAR," CONTINUES MICHEL. "MYCALL ALLOWS CELLPHONE USERS TO DOWNLOAD AN ARRAY OF
UP-TO-THE-MINUTE INFORMATION FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES VIA THE INTERNET TO THEIR
HANDSETS - INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL NEWS, MARKET INFORMATION,
ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS AND SPORTS RESULTS."

IN TERMS OF THE LICENSING AGREEMENT WIND HAS THE RIGHT TO USE RIVR TO DEVELOP
SUITABLE INTERNET-BASED INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR ITS CLIENTS - RANGING FROM
GENERIC INFORMATION RELATING TO LOCAL WEATHER, SPORTS SCORES, OR TELEVISION
PROGRAMMING. IT WILL DO SO BY INCLUDING RIVR IN ITS TELECOMMUNICATIONS
INFRASTRUCTURE, THEREBY PROVIDING ITALIAN COMPANIES WITH THE CHANNEL FOR MAKING
THEIR INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO CELLPHONE OWNERS. IN EXCHANGE, MTN WILL
INITIALLY EARN A LICENCE FEE AND A SUBSTANTIAL PERCENTAGE OF THE INCREASED
SALES REVENUE ATTRIBUTED TO THE NEW SERVICE OFFERINGS.

ENRICO ALBERINI, ALIASNET CEO, ADVISES THAT WIND WILL PRESENT THE FIRST
SERVICES BASED ON MTN TECHNOLOGY ON 19 OCTOBER AT SMAU - THE LEADING ITALIAN
COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS FAIR.  "WE ARE PROUD THAT MTN HAS CHOSEN OUR
COMPANY AS ITS TECHNOLOGICAL PARTNER. IT IS MTN'S FORMIDABLE TECHNOLOGY THAT
HAS LURED WIND, WHICH IS THE FASTEST GROWING EUROPEAN CELLULAR CARRIER AND THE
FIRST ITALIAN CONVERGENT OPERATOR."

WHILE EXPRESSING HIS PLEASURE AT MTN'S FIRST FORAY INTO THE GLOBAL ARENA,
MICHEL IS CONFIDENT THAT THE WIND TRANSACTION WILL BE THE CATALYST FOR FURTHER
INTERNATIONAL DEALS. HE ADVISES THAT NEGOTIATIONS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY WITH A
NUMBER OF INTERESTED PARTIES. "OUR VISION IS TO GIVE EVERY CELLPHONE USER IN
THE WORLD THE QUICKEST AND SIMPLEST WAY TO ACCESS PERSONALISED CONTENT ON THE
MOVE," HE SAYS. "THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP TOWARDS REALISING THAT VISION.
BOB CHAPHE, MTN HOLDINGS CHIEF EXECUTIVE ADDS, "WE BELIEVE THE TECHNOLOGY HAS
TREMENDOUS LOCAL AND GLOBAL POTENTIAL AND WE CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE THAT THE
STRIDES MADE BY MTN IN INNOVATION AND VALUE ADD WILL ASSURE US A LEADERSHIP
POSITION IN THE GLOBAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATION ARENA."
ENDS